Jennifer's Recovery Log

Peat's_Girl said:

I have no idea why you have an affinity for GMOs; I can barely stand the fruit here.

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LOL I was just kidding! I needed the strawberries to match my freakishly big man hands and so GMO strawberries were born. But seriously, my hands are actually on the puny side just like the rest of me and who wants puny strawberries? They don't make for a good story!

But yeah, if you're getting your fruit in the market and out of season, our fruit leaves much to be desired, except for Hawaii. I've heard their fruit is delicious. I hope to find out for myself someday.

Peat's_Girl said:

(Speaking of, the only time my skin was ever Neutrogena commercial ready was when I was briefly visiting my gramma... Yeah, I gained like 10lbs each time but my skin would clear up despite the icecream, bread, pork lard and apples pies I consumed... Go figure.)

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Ha! My ice cream diet isn't so off the mark then. You're gonna love it here!

Peat's_Girl said:

I used to love apples because we grew our own... But here, regardless of the ridiculously large array of them I haven't found one sort that would come close ;( Red delicious, honey apples-- these all sound like elaborate lies to get me to buy them, but I know better ;p)
That's why a juicer would probably save my life...!

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Ooh...you need to cross the boarder then. Our orchards are really good, especially during the Fall. So far, my favorite apple is the Macoun. Crisp sweet white flesh that doesn't brown easily. At the orchard, they do in fact grown as big as a freakishly large man fist.

Got sick.

I ate some soup and put, maybe a bit too much, garlic powder to mask the taste of life (bitterness).
Got really sick. Had to go to sleep.
The low energy and bone ache persists... I have no appetite either. I made a sandwich and some milk but I couldn't eat it.
Sometimes eating seems hard...

It's so weird.
It does sound like I'm hypothyroid but I don't know how to rectify it. So far Peating hasn't had any effect on my energy levels.
I only feel semi-normal in the morning after coffee but by the time evening or late afternoon comes I'm a zombie.

I ate some pulled pork we made in the oven and refriend it in coconut oil. Then boiled corn and put butter on. Drank some milk. Maybe my body isnt' responding well to liquid calories?
The only thing that my palette found appetizing was the corn with salt and butter.
Is it Peaty to buy canned corn?

Things taste ''off'' lately. Godiva chocolates and icecream and other things don't taste good.
I don't understand it.

I do have strong cravings for fat though... Like butter...! I'm okay with cheese and milk, but that's about it.
I wonder what's going on.

It took me many months to regain my appetite after coming off VLC paleo. I think my body adapted to starving. I know it's no fun but I don't think you are the only one who has experienced this lack of appetite. This is when we have to use our minds to help us get reasonable nutrition until our hunger cues return. You are also possibly feeling tired because you are getting enough food and carbs now to lower stress hormones. It's all good stuff really besides feeling sick last night.

Sorry to hear you're sick, Ally.

+1 to what Blossom said. For me, my appetite seems to come and go. I'll feel bleh one day and nothing seems appetizing, but then I'll be hit with extreme hunger days or a week later and everything looks appetizing and I can't eat enough. So it seems my body is good at making up for any deficits.

The low energy and bone aches are also normal during a state of healing. Like Blossom said, you're getting enough food and carbohydrates now which help to lower stress hormones so you're going to feel it. Stress hormones have a way of masking pain, but do silent damage in the long run. It seems you're now feeling that damage? I think too, your body finally has you where it wants you and isn't going to let you go back to your old ways without a fight. It's going to get you to rest once and for all. Good body you have there! :)

This is just my opinion, but if you enjoy canned corn and it doesn't give you any digestive problems, I say eat up! Does the canned corn have sodium and is the butter salted? When you mentioned the canned corn, salt, butter and cheese, along with being tired, I just wonder if you're body is needing salt? Salt is good for the adrenals.

Jennifer said:

Sorry to hear you're sick, Ally.

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HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

Did you realise I posted in your journal when I thought I was posting in mine?!
I spend so much time here I must have gotten confused...
Obviously I wouldn't be telling you about my soup sickness for no reason...
Sorry Y_Y

Jennifer said:

Sorry to hear you're sick, Ally.

When you mentioned the canned corn, salt, butter and cheese, along with being tired, I just wonder if you're body is needing salt? Salt is good for the adrenals.

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I don't know if I'm getting enough salt, because I'm not sure how much is enough.
I never restricted salt, so I don't think I have a huge deficit of sodium. We like to season our food generously (hence the garlic incident).

Peat's_Girl said:

Jennifer said:

Sorry to hear you're sick, Ally.

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HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

Did you realise I posted in your journal when I thought I was posting in mine?!
I spend so much time here I must have gotten confused...
Obviously I wouldn't be telling you about my soup sickness for no reason...
Sorry Y_Y

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Hehe! I had in fact realized you logged in my log.

Remember when you wrote this?

Peat's_Girl said:

See... Soon enough my entire log will be filled with more posts by me than you!!!!!!

MUAHAHAAHAAAHAAHA!

(I am actually a secret agent of the turnip, sent here to sabotage your rise to fame on the RP forums! >;D)

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I knew it was only a matter of time till I pulled you into my world with my magical powers of dance. Soon enough, my log with be filled with more posts by you than your log. MUAHAHAAHAAAHAAHA!

So don't fight it! Just dance!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mDYNuD4CwlI

The turnip is no match for you Jen. It's been defeated once and for all!

Why aren't you updating your log? One of us has to ;D

I tried goat milk again. It goes in like cow milk but has a goaty after taste. Plus it's so pricey!
I just don't get the appeal. Is it more digestible?

Peat's_Girl said:

Why aren't you updating your log? One of us has to ;D

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Touché!

I was trying to experiment a bit with goat's milk before logging about it, but aquiring it in non-fat or even low-fat has proven to be a challenge. I finally got my order of Mt. Capra's non-fat powdered goat's milk yesterday and started on that. I just wrote in your log about the benefits I've seen so far, such as faster digestion, but the Mt. Capra's does have that musky taste. Bleh! I'm still trying to get my hands on the non-fat Oak Knoll's. I was drinking their full-fat and it tastes sweet and clean like cow's milk, but then my gallbladder started acting up.

Hmm... But I thought the nasal congestion was a myth.

http://www.abc.net.au/health/talkinghea ... 102703.htm

From my understanding it just coats the mucus that's already there because of its fat and viscosity, but is not capable of creating more.


On the one hand our conventional dairy and meat are handled better than yours (hormone treatments are illegal for dairy cows), but on the other, we can't get stuff like raw milk (or selling it apparently, without going to jail). The government is ridiculously condescending when it comes to food and drugs, and even vitamins!
In fact, I can't order vitamin K2 from iHerb because for some bizarre reason they'll confiscate it.

I heard powdered milk is easier to digest, but the thought of having to make my own milk from water and a white chalky powder makes me ornery.

(Ha! I always wanted to use that word in a sentence!)

What about lactaid? And other digestive enzymes for dairy and (general) digestion?
I used to take some, and this brand was my favourite because their supplements are made from food:

http://www.iherb.com/Rainbow-Light-Lact ... =null&ic=6

Actually I used to take a lot of their stuff, the all-around digestive enzyme helped me a great deal. If you have troubles with starches and tubers, you can get that one.

I worry about you Jen... I don't know what Peat thinks about digestive enzymes and probiotics, but I have a super sensitive belly too and DEs, Probiotics and Betaine HCL were the things that helped.
You can't keep surviving on such a sad array of foodstuffs! You need a variety! So help me good I will reunite your freakishly small hands with those freakishly large strawberries even if it kills me! ;D

Are you taking probiotics? I think you should, but you should cycle them. Like taking them for 4 weeks and then stopping, and always buying different brands (for some reason if you stick to one they stop working).
I can't recommend taking magnesium because I haven't found a from that absorbs well. Once I do, I will shout it from the rooftops and you'll surely hear me in New Hampshire.

Maybe if you have low stomach acid...? Do you get horrible pains after heavy foods like meat, fats and starches? You should try betaine HCL. (Wow, I sound like a formulaic commercial...)
Whenever I felt incapacitated from pain, two of those would usually get me back to normal.

http://www.earthclinic.com/supplements/betaine-hcl.html

I also heard it's sometimes used to ease gallbladder related issues...!

I really appreciate your concern, Ally. That's very kind of you. I promise I'm okay! :)

I don't believe milk is a mucous forming food unless a person has an allergy to it (or any food) and/or doesn't digest it well. I get it from any food I'm allergic to, such as most honeys. Other allergy signs are nasal congestion, runny nose, watery eyes, wheezing, sore throat, ear infections, abdominal cramping, diarrhea, constipation, rashes/hives/eczema/psoriasis, joint pain ect. Even drinking non-fat milk caused the mucous.

I tested as having a cow's milk allergy, but I thought it was poppycock! I did suffer with chronic constipation from the time I was born (formula fed). And at 3 weeks old, I had to have a hernia operation and after reading the gutsense site, I'm thinking the constipation was most likely the culprit. I also suffered with nasty ear infections as a child. But because I didn't suffer from a skin rash or hives prior to the fruitarian diet, this whole time I kept thinking there was no way I was allergic to dairy and that the allergy test showing positive to cow's milk was due to my inflamed gut.

But I've been doing a ton of reading on the subject, looking over milk studies ect. and it wasn't until I came across an article that talked about how constipation has not been typically associated with milk intolerance, until now. This article showed that as far back as 1954, constipation was being recognized as a symptom. And that only recently has there been a well-designed study published showing that this is indeed the case.

So far, I haven't become ornery from the powdered milk, but if I grow fangs and start foaming at the mouth, i'll finally have something interesting to log about.

Lindsay mentioned her friend getting good results with Lactaid, but I alway thought that was for lactose intolerance? I've tested negative for that.

Peat's_Girl said:

You can't keep surviving on such a sad array of foodstuffs! You need a variety! So help me good I will reunite your freakishly small hands with those freakishly large strawberries even if it kills me! ;D

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Ooh...I can't wait for my freakishly small hands to be reunited with the freakishly large man hands' strawberries. Yum! But seriously, I hope by cutting out the culprit, variety is just around the corner.

For a highly absorbable magnesium source, you could try the recipe for magnesium bicarbonate water that visionofstrength posted:http://www.afibbers.org/Wallerwater.pdf

For another high magnesium source, but in food form, I just received my order of Crio Bru, roasted cocoa nibs for brewing: http://www.vitacost.com/crio-bru-brewed ... la-12-oz-1

And thank you for all the links and recommendations. I'll be sure to check them out. :)

Uh, milk of magnesia?... Isn't that the stuff that's supposed to induce vomiting and used on your face if it's really really oily? Y_Y

I'm curious about the cocoa nibs. I used to have a batch and I'd eat it daily and giggle. I swear it made me high a little.

But what about plain ol' dutch cocoa? Can't you just drink hot cocoa?

Speaking of, are you working diligently on a Peat inspired cookbook?
I've got a recipe I especially developed just for you!

BEHOLD, THE FANTABULOUS, THE MIRACULOUS, THE SIMPLY ORGASMIC
... CHOCO-COFFEE!

I might have oversold it.



It's just a TBSP of cocoa in a coffee with 4 tsp. of sugar and 3 tsp. of cream. You can also put a scoop of Coffee Haagen Daazs on top.

But mark my words, this could becomes a craze! Like the Peat version of bulletproof coffee (yuck, who wants a chunk of butter floating on the top?! Or worse?! OIL!).

In the words of Peat himself:
"Uh... A lot of people are telling me they're doing that.. But.. Cream in coffee is so good...!"

Oh, if you have an ALLERGY, that's a WHOLE lot different than an intolerance.
But you should still try B-HCL, and some digestive enzymes/ probiotics if you can afford them.
They're not something you'd take forever, just for a bit until Peaty foods heal your guts.

If you've got a milk allergy, do you think it's safe for you to have goat milk?
What's different about it? Maybe you should give up the dairy completely. There are better way to get your calcium.
Are you okay with cheese? From what I've read Ray himself says adults do better on cheese than milk anyway.

By the way, what sort of steps would you take to find out if you have one?
Technically, I don't know many Ukrainians with a milk allergy... And I grew up on (raw) milk.
I always thought my lactose intolerance was suspicious. I still don't know whether I have it or not
and I'm too poor for a test. Sometimes I get constipated and sometimes I get diarrhea, but my diet is not clean enough (and probably never will be) for me to pinpoint the problem.

Peat's_Girl said:

Uh, milk of magnesia?... Isn't that the stuff that's supposed to induce vomiting and used on your face if it's really really oily? Y_Y

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Hmm...to induce vomiting? Do you mean ipecac? Milk of magnesia is for the other end. Magnesium hydroxide (MoM) is used in antacids and laxative formulations. And yes! I've heard it's great for oily skin. LOL

Peat's_Girl said:

But what about plain ol' dutch cocoa? Can't you just drink hot cocoa?

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The starch in cocoa gives me heartburn so I opted for the brewing nibs to get the benefits without the starch. But since you tolerate starch, cocoa and even chocolate would work fine. That will get you some magnesium in a delicious form.

Peat's_Girl said:

Speaking of, are you working diligently on a Peat inspired cookbook?
I've got a recipe I especially developed just for you!

BEHOLD, THE FANTABULOUS, THE MIRACULOUS, THE SIMPLY ORGASMIC
... CHOCO-COFFEE!

I might have oversold it.

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Haha! Orgasmic, huh? That'll get people's attention!

I could call the cookbook Orgasmically Peaty. Umm...yeah, it's a working title! LOL

Your recipe sounds great! Kind of like a choco coffee float. Yummy!

Peat's_Girl said:

But mark my words, this could becomes a craze! Like the Peat version of bulletproof coffee (yuck, who wants a chunk of butter floating on the top?! Or worse?! OIL!).

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Funny, every time I hear someone mention bulletproof coffee, I think of butter tea or "Tibetan tea" that people in the Himalayan region drink. It's made with tea leaves, yak butter and I think they add salt and then churn this mixture.

Yeah, sometimes those who have an allergy to cow's milk can tolerate goat's milk just fine. I had only goat's milk yesterday and today and it's clear cow's milk was the issue. I noticed I can even tolerate a lot more honey without getting hives which wasn't the case while drinking the cow's milk. Also, I had no churning gut yesterday or today, nor was I woken up during the night from it like I have been lately. And normally, the rash from the day before will have dried up and scabbed over during the night, but I woke this morning and was shocked when I grazed my cheek while stretching and it was so smooth. Even smoother than the months I was taking the Minocycline. I forgot what my face is suppose to feel like. It's sad when your sick for so long, it becomes your new normal.

I had a blood test to detect the allergy. Cheese causes the rash and constipation the worst, followed by milk and then butter. I joked with my doctor, who currently has issues with dairy, that we can't be allergic to it since I'm a Frenchy and she's Italian. LOL Of course, I also have a lot of Native American Indian in me, but to be honest, I don't think that has any influence. But yeah, it's not always easy to pinpoint if it's dairy or other foods in your diet that are causing you issues. You mentioned you grew up on raw milk, did you grow up in the Ukraine, Ally?

So an update on my goat's milk experiment. This is my last trial with dairy and so far it's going shockingly well, but only time will tell since I had good patches with cow's milk that didn't last. So what I've noticed so far...

My skin is returning to normal. Not the past few years sick normal and not Minocycline normal, but before I got hurt normal. Warm, plump, soft with good color. I still have my rosy cheeks, but they're a healthy rosy that I grew up having and not the allergy redness that persisted below the surface of my skin.

My churning stomach has stopped so it's no longer waking me at the night. Also, I no longer get a mucous bubble right after having milk and my nasal passages are clear and my sore throat gone.

I can drink the milk just out of the fridge and not freeze like I did with cow's milk even when it was room temp. I went to bed last night and my feet were so warm. Normally, they're ice cold. I sleep with a heating pad under my back and last night I had to turn it off and throw the covers off of me because I was so warm.

I can have a considerable amount of honey without developing hives or a burning gut which I couldn't do on cow's milk. I went through almost a full 17oz bottle of honey today and before, I could only tolerate 6 tablespoons at most. It is said that goat's milk is very healing for those with ulcers. Maybe there's validity to that claim?

My only issue is I can't stand the taste of the Mt. Capra's powdered goat's milk I'm currently having to rely on. It has that musk or "goaty" taste and a saltiness to it. It's kind of like drinking goat cheese. The Oak Knoll Dairy's full-fat goat's milk I was getting before had a clean, sweet flavor like that of cow's milk, but I'm having a hard time finding a distributor that stocks the lower fat varieties. Their milk is also sold at their farm in Vermont, but that's about 80 minutes away.

Well, that's about it for now.

Tonight's song, I always loved this one...

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8WqwhEy1cK8

Well great Jennifer! I always hated goats milk or cheese - goaty - but tried some cheese that was not goaty at all and it digests very well I find. Not that I'm allergic to cows milk. But the difference is noticeable.

I'm so happy to hear your feet were warm last night. Warm feet are a great sign.

No, not really. I left Ukraine at 6. I only moved to Canada with my folks at 16.
That's probably the biggest problem. My stomach had to get used to many different cuisines, the same way my brain had to get used to many different languages. So by the time I came to Quebec my brain was like, "No freaking way, dude." Maybe my belly has had enough too... Especially after all the different diets I've put it through... Low-fat, Zero Carb, Raw, Paleo, Primal, Eat Stop Eat...

I don't wanna play the blame game, my mom surely did what she thought was good for me, but my mom was a vegetarian during my "formative" years, so 10-14.
My frame is quite large for my height, I think I was SUPPOSED to grow to at least 5''5, but I've stayed the exact same height since I was 14... I used to be the tallest girl in school and then I just stopped growing.
I remember coming home and looking for milk and cheese and meat to eat, but there was never any and I've always felt hungry.
When I finally got my first job I would eat cheesecake for lunch and pizza for dinner, and tons and tons of sweets and snacks. I quickly started gaining weight, and that's when the dieting started.

Why am I telling you this? I don't know ;D

That scuks you can't get the milk you like. I guess I would opt for goat milk too if I had access to non-goaty sources (I still find it very hard to believe it has NO goaty after taste at all! My taste buds are super sensitive! Have you seen Ratatouille? That should give you a clue .

Do you have any friends who could give you a lift for the farm? Maybe once a month you can stock up on a huge quantity of milk? I know some people (including my parents) who freeze milk. It doesn't seem to alter the taste.
You'd have to spring for a freezer with bigger storage, I suppose.

I definitely wasn't implying you should consume things that make you sick! It just makes me sad that we must avoid the foods we love... I was trying to figure out a way for you to drink some milk. If you're simply intolerant I guess there'd be a way but If you have a proven allergy, there's no question in my mind that you should stay away from it.

May I ask, why you choose to consume honey if it causes you hives? What about white sugar? According to Peat is the safest form of sugar for the metabolically challenged.

So Jen, I read your MoM article thingy. How many glasses of this do you drink per day? I'd say 1 right, since it has about 450mg of magnesium from my understanding?

How do you use the eggshell calcium? How much does a dozen egg shells produce and how many do you take per day? Do you have to wash them and bake them or just wash them and mill them?
Do you just eat it as is?...

Again, with all the questions!