Who knew?

Some of you know, my family started an intensive diet in June to cure up our gut issues.  It has pretty much turned my life upside down, and to simply put it, I get really sick of cooking and meal planning.  However, I am very grateful I came across this diet, and I plan to see it through to the end - probably another year and a half.  Someday I will tell you more about it (but I will say 1. Dana's anxiety is decreasing dramatically, 2.  The dark circles under my eyes that I have had for at least 12 years are WAY lighter, and 3.  Camille can eat cow's milk, whereas before I couldn't even eat it, as she would react through it in my milk).  ANYWAY, I am part of a yahoo support group for the diet.  Pretty much it is the group of the crunchiest people who collectively know everything about natural living.  I have been interested in health/natural living for many years, but these last few months I have come along way, thanks to the group. I thought I would share some things I have learned from my yahoo group, that I thought would be interesting/helpful to anyone who is interested in natural living, whether or not you are doing this diet:


Bubbies Pickles.  These are a very common go-to snack around here.  Unlike regular pickles at the store, they are lacto-fermented (the same process that turns milk into yogurt), and so they are not only still raw, but also contain beneficial bacteria.  I make lacto-fermented foods at home, but for anyone who prefers snacks to be pre-made, these are awesome.  You can get them at the health food store in the refrigerator section.  They are spicier than regular pickles, so you may need to get used to them a little.  I love 'em.


findaspring.com.  Because we are renting, we haven't wanted to purchase a water filter.  This website shows where all the natural springs are, and the pH and other info about them.  Cool, eh?


Chaffin Family Orchards Cold Pressed Extra Virgin Olive Oil.  I am not a big fan of the taste of EVOO on anything except sometimes salad.  It's a very strong flavor.  I used to cook with it, as that significantly decreased the taste.  What I didn't know is that EVOO should never be heated, as it has a very low smoke point and turns into trans fat (I only heat saturated fats, now, for cooking).  Well, this brand of EVOO is very mild.  This is due to the type of olive and that it's harvested late in the season.  I make mayo with it, and although I can still taste the olive oil flavor, it doesn't bother me.  It is expensive, but one thing I've really come to believe in the last year is that the type of fat you use has a major impact on your health, more than other factors.  I used to like canola oil, because it is mild, until I found out what it really was. The only vegetable oil I use now is EVOO.


Custom Probiotic 11 Strain.  Probiotics are the new buzz word these days.  And rightfully so, I think.  Pretty much the diet we are on is one big probiotic treatment.  We are repopulating our guts with all the good guys and killing off the bad.  Anyway, not all probiotics are created equal.  There are, of course, different strains.  But there also are maintenance probiotics that maintain good health, and there are therapeutic probiotics that increase health.  They can be expensive.  This is the brand we use, though there are several.  It's expensive per bottle, but the dose is very small, and it lasts a long time.  I have seen it do a lot to my kids' bodies.

If I think of any others that you might like to know about, I'll post again some other time.  Hope this helps someone!