Freemotion's food journal: Expanding the gardens, pics p 53

[freemotion]

I am glad to help!

I wish I'd had more support while making the switch.....I felt I needed some group therapy! So I do design my classes with that in mind, too, and have seen some interesting patterns emerge. It takes most people 5-6 weeks to stop panicking and get to work, with a lot of support. With no support, most people quit. So I do a twelve-week series, to give people time to get through that period, then have time to catch up once they are paying real attention!

My ND got me into this, even though it became apparent to me that she was only following it in a small way. She was also quite overweight....but did need hip replacement, so I will give her that....she couldn't do much by way of exercise. Although I've seen wheelchair-bound people lose tons of weight by following the program and doing upper-body resistance training to build muscle, which raises one's fat-burning metabolism.

 

[lorihadams]

Hey Free, can I pick your brain a little?

What are your thoughts on fibromyalgia and depression/anxiety? I have both. I am on cymbalta now but I hate some of the side effects, specifically the dry mouth and constipation. The only thing I take other than that is birth control and a stool softener for the constipation. I have felt better since being on the cymbalta but I don't want to be on it forever.

 

[FarmerDenise]

lorihadams, I'm going to jump in here, I have two friends with fribromyalgia.
I know that one of them has stopped eating most grains. Spelt was one of the grains she is allowed, but it doesn't taste very good. She learned to make her own bread using ingredients that were ok with the bread machine I passed on to her. I know she limits her food intake in many ways in order to manage her fibromyalgia. She is actually my DD's friend and I don't know too much detail about her diet.
I hope Free can give you some more advice. I also know that there are books about using diet to help alleviate the pain of fibromyalgia.

 

[freemotion]

People with FMS generally do better with supplementation, above and beyond a diet that is as close to perfect as possible. FMS has flares and remissions, it is not progressive, so there is a lot of hope. You can take a lot of control and figure out how to keep yourself in remission as much as possible.

One thing that happens a lot, though, is that once someone had a diagnosis of FMS, then everything is thrown into that category. You can still have things happen that are not related and need to be treated separately. So be alert and very proactive.

I will speak in generalities in the forum, if you want more specifics, e-mail me.....but in general, be sure your Omega's are balanced, and experiment with taking more Omega III's and opc's and oracs, all of which are very anti-inflammatory. I have read some cool studies recently.... Also, for depression, Omega III's again, B vitamins and calcium, which also helps with muscle issues.

FMS usually has a lot of weird symptoms, no two patients are alike. Depression is often one of the symptoms, too.

eta: I have several clients and friends with FMS who keep it very much under control now.

 

[big brown horse]

That is good to know free.

I finished my broth, just now. The bones are just about mush at this point...24 hours later.

Is this recipe for chicken broth what started the wives tale about chicken soup being a cure all for a cold? It just occured to me.

 

[freemotion]

Yeah, they weren't talking about bullion....msg wasn't invented yet when chicken soup was the cure-all!

 

[freemotion]

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Another hot day!

Supplements
4 guinea eggs
hot chocolate, 16 oz
a huge shake with egg yolks, double serving, really....dh made it
a big hunk of cheddar and some grapes
a big dinner plate of tortilla chips with cheddar, fermented bean paste, and a very large beefsteak tomato, diced....oh, was that ever good!

13-14 servings of fruits/veggies
I need beef! <<<me, throwing a tantrum

 

[big brown horse]

Free, you inspired me again. For breakfast I made a nice smoothie with spinach, strawberries, bananas, yogurt etc. Oh and for the first time in my life...raw eggs. Nobody suspected the spinach either. I served in opaque glasses so you couldn't pick up on the little green bits.

I am curious, what are your supplements? Did you mention that already?

 

[Blackbird]

Monique, you are truly a fount of wisdom. I may have to move in with you yet! Thank you so much for your journal. I was wondering when you would make one.

I have a question, you add yolks to your shakes, but what do you do with the whites? Just curious.

I was also wondering.. and I figured you would know - what kind of wild plants could one freeze?
Minnesota winters are so long and depressing, one of the things I always long for is fresh greens, any greens.. I'd be tempted to eat grass if there was any. This year I've read quite a bit about edible plants and went out and tried them. I've eaten dandelion and purslane before, but I've grown accustom to curly dock, clover flowers. And also a very sweet tasting plant that looks kind of like clover but with tiny yellow flowers. My mom told me about it when I was probably five and I've been eating it since, but don't know the name. I assume that these plants, as well as lettuce, chard, and other nummy leafy things are going to turn to black mush if I freeze them. Is it possible to can such things? You have no idea how sad this makes me.

 

[freemotion]

Awww, sweetie-pie.....

You should be able to freeze any of the greens nicely by blanching them first. This is how spinach stays green when you either freeze it yourself or buy it in a bag. This just means it is partially cooked by steaming or dunking in boiling water for a very short time. The time depends on the veggie. Leafy things that cook quickly fresh will need a very quick blanching time, maybe a minute or two, then a swish in very cold water, drain, and freeze in airtight containers, like ziploc freezer bags or even canning jars. The blanching destroys enzymes that will break down the plant material over time, even in the freezer.

I like using a corn pot for blanching, it has an insert with holes in it so you can pull everything out quickly with the insert. You can also use a wire collander, or just a skimmer spoon to fish stuff out. You want to keep the water hot for the next batch, so you don't dump it each time.

I freeze herbs as is, if they are to be used as flavorings, it doesn't matter if they turn to mush....like basil, oregano, and such. Frozen herbs go into soups and sauces. I puree them and freeze in dedicated ice cube trays, or lay them on wax paper and roll it up so they are separate, and put the roll into a ziploc freezer bag.

There is no way to preserve them that I know of that will allow you to eat them as if they are fresh.

You can also dry them and use them in soups, sauces, shakes, etc. I throw some dried nettles into my shakes when I think of it. Comfrey is next, I sent all my dried comfrey to my mom and need to dry another batch. They will both be added to soups, stews, sauces all winter in small amounts of goodness.

Hope this helps!

Oh and about the eggs....I usually toss the whites (oh, my! How NOT ss!) but they would make GREAT meringues!!!! One of these days.....