Stop Demonizing Food!

Dr. Mercola wrote an article about *Wheat* that bothers me.  Though there maybe a correlation between consumption of wheat and poor health; there are a few things that need to be taken into account.  First, when we use correlational findings to find causation we run the risk of missing out on the whole story; and in this case several variables aren't being acknowledged.  One HUGE variable that people don't seem to acknowledge is that most Americans have a damaged gut and simply CANNOT digest wheat because of that.  Another issue that I was discussing with two other women the other day is that wheat is no longer what it used to be.  There was even GMO wheat found in Oregon and no one knows where it came from! 

We need to stop demonizing food!  Wheat; REAL (organic) whole wheat is food.  It IS possible that real wheat no longer exist in America; I can accept that.  To say, however, that wheat is bad news or bad for the health is simply not true.  Some of us need to heal before consuming it and some may never be able to consume it, but that doesn't make it bad. 

Whew!

I don't believe it, but we're back!  I mentioned that we will be expanding, but the deletion of this blog was NEVER in the plans.  I inquired about it and to my surprise we're back.   I'm very relieved.  This will make the expansion much easier.

Expansion!

I'm sure you've noticed my lack of activity in the last couple of months.  Well, there is good reason for that.  You see, BWMFs is growing beyond that which I've envisioned!  I may even be moving BWMFs to another location and soon.  If I do, when I do, I'll be sure to alert all of my much valued readers of the new web address.  I will keep all of the information at this location up to ensure that everyone is aware of the move, and I will personally alert those who have linked to my site so that they can make a new link to the new location.

Blogger has served me well for the three years that BWMFs has been around, however, what I want to offer has become too big for Blogger and it's almost time to move on.  Even though this is FAR from goodbye, I want to thank everyone for reading.  I'm excited about the next step and everything the Lord has in store for me!

Candida Cleanse

The GAPS diet is working, but this nutritionist actually gave me some pointers that I may be able to try along with GAPS.  Candida is a pest.  When you fight it, it fights back.  This individual gave some pointers that I could use.  Some of her suggestions aren't GAPS friendly.  Many have found relief via the GAPS diet so I'm going to stick with it, but her suggestions may be helpful too.

My Gut Bugs

I've mentioned that I've been on the intro GAPS diet several times.  In the intro part of the diet raising your gut bug intake is KEY to healing.  I've been pouring fermented whey and sauerkraut juice into almost all of my soups; I've made a nice fermented coconut soda (yum-may!) that I sip on throughout the day; and I've been eating a LOT of kefir (from raw cow and raw goat milk).  I've even made fermented fish.  I've got to say, I was pretty scared at first, but I had some for breakfast and WOW!  It's actually pretty good, I've got to say!

I've been seeing improvements in my health like I couldn't imagine too!  I've had so much energy this week.  I mean, I was able to get up in the morning without feeling REALLY groggy or sick (which happened very often in the past).  I'm starting to see that getting out of bed in the morning ISN'T suppose to be that painful after all.  I get MORE out of my day then ever.  My skin isn't dry and flaky like it used to be.  And I can see that the Candida is finally going away... FINALLY!

The only problem is the die-off.  That drove me crazy at times and it's something that is keeping me from traveling for a while too.  But I am determined to conquer this and get my health back!  So bring on the gut bugs!

How the USDA Can Make or Break Public Health

It makes me sad that the US government tries to make such a strong case against people and families taking care of themselves.  They say that they do these things for our safety... really?  How can that be possible when the FDA approves of things and the CDC even pushes things that have historically made many people ill?

I'm sure that there are individuals who work for the FDA, CDC, USDA and for our new socialized healthcare system that believe that these organizations are well needed.  I'm sure that they are ALL organizations that can be useful if there wasn't (what often appears to be) a destructive agenda.

In my opinion, these organizations have, at least in the last 15 years but perhaps longer, done more harm than good.  I wish parents, and in a few cases individuals, were allowed more control over their health and the health of their families.

How the USDA Can Make or Break Public Health

The 9 Irrefutable Benefits of Cholesterol in the Diet

The Healthy Home Economist hit the nail on the head here.  Fat and cholesterol both have unfortunate reputations in today's America.  We fail to remember that they are nutrients!  We were so grossly misinformed of the "dangers" of fat and cholesterol.  Usually, the health issues that are said to be caused from fat and cholesterol are caused by sugar.

High fat foods are most important in the GAPS diet.  Especially in the second stage of the introductory diet.  It heals the gut like nothing else!  And no wonder... fat cell wall are almost all lipids.

In the article below, the Healthy Home Economist goes more into detail about the benefits of cholesterol.  According to my prior research on cholesterol, she hit the nail on the head!

The 9 Irrefutable Benefits of Cholesterol in the Diet

Intro GAPS

I'm finally doing the intro GAPS diet; I'm doing it by the book and I can already feel it working.  It's also MUCH easier than I thought it was going to be.  I make a pot of soup and just eat and snack on it all day long.  I stopped drinking the tea recommended to me by my nutritionist months ago, and then started drinking it again about a month ago.  I realized again, that it seems to be doing more harm than good, so I'm ditching it.  I will be looking to drink the ginger tea as instructed by Dr. Natasha.

The reason why I think one stays on the intro for a while is because they are trying to build their gut flora.  I'm able to eat MORE probiotic food and juice than one is suppose to on the introduction diet which is awesome because it is a head start.  Another advantage is the anti-fungal oil tablets that my doctor gave me. Between that and the massive amount of probiotic foods and drinks that I'm ingesting, I'm going to be on the second stage of this diet relatively soon regardless of the fact that I just started about a week ago.

I already can see that I will not need to be on this diet for very much longer.  I'm very excited about that.  I've been on this diet for SO long and I thought that I would never be able to progress.  Now, I'm mostly focused on healing my gut lining which may happen a little more quickly than expected because of the HUGE amount of probiotics in my diet.  I look forward to the progress!

Why I Never Consume Colloidal Silver

I have a large bottle of colloidal silver that I almost never use.  I've actually ingested it a few times, and each time my health got worse.  Finally, my doc told me to stop taking it.  It's a heavy metal, I knew this, but it said that it was safe to ingest!  Then I read the article below which made things clearer to me.

I used to think:  So what do I do now?  I have this BIG bottle of colloidal silver that I can't use... or can I?  I can't ingest it, but there are times when I need an external antimicrobial agent.  For cuts, scrapes and ear infections, colloidal silver is AWESOME!  Yet, used in these ways it will not kill your beneficial flora or infest your body with heavy metals.  I even poured some in a spray bottle to sanitize my hands on the go!

Why I Never Consume Colloidal Silver

Happy Independence Day!

Happy Independence Day everyone!  Below is Google's tribute to this holiday, but I liked it so much I decided to post it as well!  Enjoy the barbecues and fireworks today!

Ting!

In Jamaica there is a grapefruit soda called "Ting" that as a child, I couldn't drink enough of!  I went to Jamaica the last time equipped with information and conviction about healthy foods and healthy diets and was shocked and upset to see the ingredients in Ting was not just grapefruit juice, carbonated water and a sweetener.  Yes, I even expected a sweetener!  I didn't expect artificial flavoring and coloring both of which it contained.

Well, amen, I learned how to make my own Ting.  Above is a picture of MY finished product.  When I make homemade Ting it ALWAYS fizzes up something fierce!  I had to "burp" this batch twice after refrigeration.  As you can see in the picture, it was STILL bubbling up.  I made this with grapefruit juice and a ginger bug.  Below is Sarah, the Healthy Home Economist, teaching how to make a ginger bug.  Pour about a fourth of a cup of the ginger bug into about 6 cups of grapefruit juice, cap and wait for one to three days.  I warn you though, it may NOT allow you to wait three days!  This was fizzing like this after just a few hours, so I'm allowing it to finish fermenting in the fridge.

Let me just say that this soda is GOOD!  I enjoy it very much and because it has healthy cultures in it I'm allowed to drink it on my GAPS diet.  Try this at home!

 

Gut, Thyroid and Mental Health

I'm realizing more and more that most chronic illness, including mental illness, starts in the gut.  MANY psychologists and psychiatrists have said that when gut problems are taken care of they have seen things as bad as schizophrenia disappear.  There is no need to pump people with prozac and Thorazine (REALLY nasty stuff, Thorazine) all they need to do is heal.

Many THYROID problems start with the gut too.  So everything this doctor has to say confirms everything that I have recently learned about gut health and overall health.

Optimizing Your Gut Bacteria Can Help Reduce Acne

I recently posted an article that discussed how eliminating gluten will help acne.  Remember how I said that any condition where the symptoms are alleviated by eliminating gluten or dairy is most likely a result of leaky gut syndrome?  This is how I can tell immediately that someone has leaky gut syndrome.  I immediately refer them to a nutritionist and the GAPS diet always helps them right away, it's amazing... but not surprising!

Well, here is clue number two that acne is simply an end result of a damaged gut.  Here is an article that says that probiotics can help reduce acne.  Probiotics, huh?  Man, I hate it when I'm right! :-D

Optimizing Your Gut Bacteria Can Help Reduce Acne

Make A Bee Waterer And Help Hydrate Our Pollinators

I never think about how bees need water too!  They DO work hard and they do SO much for us, but I didn't realize that sometimes the workers need a little water cooler break.  The video and article below give some tips on how you could create a watering station for them.

If you have any additional ideas comments are welcome!



Make A Bee Waterer And Help Hydrate Our Pollinators

No-Grain Diet Clears up Acne for Good

Whenever one has a condition that improves or clears up when dairy and/or grain is removed from the diet, it is a clue that there is an issue with the gut.

I still find it astonishing that there are SO many diseases and conditions that could be cleared up with a gut healing protocol like the GAPS diet.  There are many diseases that people think are genetic or chronic; but when dairy or grain is removed the symptoms go away.  This is a great temporary solution, however, if you really want to TREAT it to a cure; start a gut healing protocol.  GAPS and BED are the best that I've seen; but I encourage you to do the research and choose the one best for you.

No-Grain Diet Clears up Acne for Good 8/23/03

How to Speed Gut Healing and Shorten Time on the GAPS Diet

Sometimes it takes a while before the GAPS diet clears up problems.  This could be a real bummer for many.  A girlfriend of mine just started the diet and she has been discouraged on it because it just isn't going the way she had hoped.  It's also easy to fall off the wagon now and again for many including her.

Well, fear not!  Below there is an article with some tips on how to speed your journey toward healing and bring your GAPS walk to a quick close.  Enter Sarah, the Healthy Home Economist.

How to Speed Gut Healing and Shorten Time on the GAPS Diet

Three Reasons to Eat Turmeric - Dr. Weil

Turmeric is amazing food!  I love, love, love curry, but my new favorite treat is turmeric milk.  Dr. Weil only named THREE of the many, many benefits of eating turmeric.

Besides being an herb that makes my chicken and chick peas delicious, it has served as a healer for me and others.  I remember a time when I had horrible back pain.  After two weeks of drinking turmeric milk, my back pain temporarily vanished.  Once I stopped drinking the turmeric milk habitually, it came back.  Now, don't get me wrong, there was a problem that needed to be addressed and once it was, I had no more back pain for good.  However, I had to note that it was remarkable that this food was a pain medication on top of everything else.  A farmer also shared a story about when his livestock became sick.  He couldn't give it medication to kill the pathogen because it was a certified organic livestock.  He really thought that he would lose the poor sick bird.  One day, he started to put turmeric in its feed.  He was SO surprised; but the chicken started to heal miraculously! Our fethered friend was back with her pack before she knew it!

When I came across the article below, I decided to post it even though three reasons don't even scrape the surface of the rockstar food that turmeric is.  The three reasons that Dr. Weil has, however, are three GOOD reasons.  Enjoy the article!

Three Reasons to Eat Turmeric - Dr. Weil

Natural Jewelry Cleaner

Finally!  There is a way to clean your jewelry to a shine without the nasty chemical infested stuff.  You can use items from your kitchen for most of these cleaners!

In the past, I've used toothpaste to clean my silver. It was the only thing to do with the left over fluoride toothpastes that I don't use anymore.  But now that I'm out of that, I have another method of cleaning to try and I'm SO grateful.  I don't wear a lot of jewelry and I don't wear it often, but now I have quick and easy ways to make what I do wear shine before putting it on!

Let me know what you think of this!


  

Ginger Yummies!

Ginger is one of my favorite treats on the planet.  Not only is it just simply good stuff, but having a history of gastrointestinal problems, it was also medicinal for me and soothing for my stomach.  There was a time when I kept ginger candy in my purse because of these occational attacks of nausea that I used to get. I'm SO glad those days are over!  But I still love that gingery flavor!

I was so happy when I came across the recipe below!  I added it to my Pinterest, but I did't post it on FB because there is one aspect that bothered me... sugar.  I'm simply not in the habit of promoting recipes that utilize sugar except for fermented foods like kefir or kombucha.  I wonder if there is any alternative; maybe maple sugar or crystalized honey?  I'm not sure yet, but you can be sure that I will be doing some experimentation!  How I would love to make my own ginger candy!

If you have any alternatives to the sugar in this recipe, please let me know in the comments below!  (Click *here* for the recipe)

June's Book of the Month: Probiotic Revolution

A girlfriend of mine recently started the GAPS diet and she is loving it!  Her medication was reduced, she has energy like never before and she is completely inspired and telling everyone about it.  She read the Probiotics Revolution and got me interested in it.  I thought that it would be a fabulous book for June as you are growing vegetables and growing the food that you will be jarring in October.

I still make all kinds of probiotic foods.  I intend on becoming an expert on the topic.  If it helps MY body, I know that it will help others as well.