Things I Do at Home

I've been spending all my energy just managing this house... Energy for blogging? Hasn't really existed, but I have the desire to share some things I've been doing. I've also been feeling the return of wrist pain, and my muscles have been really stiff in my arms. Typing isn't flowing like normal, I have to work harder to do it.

1. Grating Frozen Beef Fat:

Yes, I've discovered this trick and it works brilliantly. We bought a quarter cow last year, but the beef was unfortunately 90% lean, so we asked for beef fat to add into the burgers. I'm not a fan of lean burger because they're so dry and unpleasant, but also because the beef fat is very healthy. It fuels my poor brain!  I can write about my experience with healthy vs unhealthy fats in a later post, but beef fat is one of the best for me since I can't have dairy. Anyway, the burgers grill so much better and taste so much richer because of the beef fat! I also use it for seasoning my cast irons, and I'll cook with it occasionally. I'd use it exclusively, but it's a real (excuse me..) bitch to clean up out of my ceramic pans. I go through too many paper towels... so I use it in my cast iron pans, which I only use on the grill or in the oven. 

What I do is.... well, look at the photos:

Yep, I grate that block of FROZEN beef fat like it's cheese. The shavings are light as air, and they do not get sticky as long as they stay frozen. So they key here is to grate it frozen, then put it in the freezer for storage. As long as it's FROZEN it is very easy to work with. 

Cleaning up isn't as terrible as it looks as long as the shavings are still cold. I like to rub it on my skin as a lotion! 

2. Car Wash, Naturally! 

South Carolina pollen is INSANE, so it seems pointless to wash my car, right? But all the bugs and spiders that love to live in my car need to go away. Normal people would drive through an automatic car wash, but I'm really not a fan of them. They can cause damage, they're horrible for the environment, and the soap stinks. So if I can do it at home with fragrance-free soap, why wouldn't I? All I'm missing is a power washer... that would save me a lot of strength and energy. I just used the hose, a giant sponge, and this fragrance-free plant-based car wash:

My car is black, not yellow (pollen)!! Who would have known? This soap worked really well. It's very concentrated, lathered very well, and didn't leave the worst sunspots I've ever seen. The best part? NO SMELL. I bought it on Amazon (click this sentence.) 

Guess how many spiders I found on my car while I washed it? 3... shudder... thankfully I have never seen one inside my car, but they sure love to build webs all over the outside. It's totally unacceptable. 

3. Making Popsicles

Normally I don't like ice in my water, or even cold water. I always drink room temperature or hot liquids. Cold "hurts" my stomach, if that makes sense. It feels like it puts out the fire in my stomach, and I need that fire. That said... It's SO HOT HERE. After I've been outside for a while, especially for a walk, I'm usually sweating and really need to cool down or I'll pass out. So instead of reaching for coconut ice cream (Cosmic Bliss...mmmm....)... I decided to make these instead. 

The pink ones are Ultima Electrolytes in water. It didn't work very well. The powder settled to the bottom of the mold, and I ended up with half of it being a very lightly flavored ice cube. No bueno.

 
The white ones were supposed to be more like an ice cream replacement, and they were pretty good. I used coconut milk, allulose, vanilla, and ground orange peel. I didn't measure, sorry. I kept adding and mixing to taste. I think I watered down the coconut milk too much because it was like licking an ice cube, but the flavor was good! 

4. Sticky Bug Traps! 

I bought them and tried them... and I'm happy to report that these work!! Living in SC means waging a constant battle against bugs, and I refuse to spray pesticides inside the house. I won't argue why in this post - I shouldn't have to explain why I don't want a neurotoxin around my pet birds and I. 

The Max-Catch slides under countertops, the cockroaches get stuck on them, and they can't get off. Brilliant! 

The Safter Plug-In is really effective for all the small flies. It emits a blue UV light that attracts the flies, and then they land on it and can't get off. Brilliant! 

I do see dead roaches, and I have to assume it's because they ate the boric acid tablets I put around the house. I have to assume boric acid works too. I put a layer of diatomaceous earth around the house too, and I've seen lots of dead ants in it.   

Okay, that's all for not folks. More to come in future posts. My hands hurt and I'm way too tired. 

Water Is Life: Product Review of RO Filtration Systems and Why You Need Them

I agree with the Native Americans who fought against the pipeline in North and South Dakota: 
Water Is Life.

It's true. We can't live without clean water.

We said the mantra over and over, demanding that the source of our water supply wasn't ruined by fracking and leaking oil pipelines. But why don't we really live this mantra by choosing to drink clean water and choosing practices that keep our water clean? Why are we still drinking from plastic bottles, drinking the tap water, and choosing to buy foods grown with pesticides that run off into our water supply and ruin in? 

 In the words of Nestle's CEO: 

“Water is, of course, the most important raw material we have today in the world. It’s a question of whether we should privatize the normal water supply for the population. And there are two different opinions on the matter. The one opinion, which I think is extreme, is represented by the NGOs, who bang on about declaring water a public right. That means that as a human being you should have a right to water. That’s an extreme solution. The other view says that water is a foodstuff like any other, and like any other foodstuff it should have a market value. Personally, I believe it’s better to give a foodstuff a value so that we’re all aware it has its price, and then that one should take specific measures for the part of the population that has no access to this water, and there are many different possibilities there.”

So... if water is to be treated as a "foodstuff" with market value, that means you have a choice. What water are you buying? Do you know what you're buying when you pay your water bill for tap water? Do you know what you're buying when you buy plastic water bottles because you don't trust the tap water? Are those alkaline waters you're buying to be healthier actually better for you? It's all a bunch of marketing, because water is a product to be sold. 

Oh boy. This one is a heavy subject, one that I could write a whole 200 page thesis about. It's easy to feel like it's too big of a problem to tackle, but I want to promise you that there are some solutions.

Let's talk about solutions, because the problems with water are too much for me to get into. 

But first:

Well... yes. Dave is right. 

1. Your body won't turn alkaline by drinking alkaline water. You will struggle to digest well if you drink alkaline water with your meals, because it reduces stomach acid. You need enough stomach acid to bread down food and absorb the nutrition from it. Lowering your stomach acid can lead to heartburn. That said, you definitely do need minerals in your water to absorb it and retain it, but more on how to do that later. 

2. You really don't want to drink chlorine. Chlorine kills bacteria and sanitizes. Do you want to kill the bacteria in your body? Bacteria basically control the health of our bodies, so without enough good bacteria our bodies won't function well. If you're taking probiotics to help add more good bacteria into your gut, are you swallowing it with chlorine, a substance that kills bacteria?

3. Fluoride is very controversial. Does it have benefits? Yes, it does reduce cavities. Is it a neurotoxin that kills brain cells? Yes. It's essential you don't consume too much, because the toxicity of fluoride is dose-dependent. So how exactly do you control the dose when you're drinking tap water? (Also, do we need to add fluoride to toothpaste when there's already enough to prevent cavities in tap water? That's a post for another day.) 

4. Okay, so avoid tap water to avoid chlorine and fluoride... got it. But then he says not to drink out of plastic? Plastic does break down into microplastics that end up in the water, and they do mess with hormones. Then how to do I get water? Those glass bottles are expensive, and hey, don't they contain water from sources high in arsenic? Some do, yes. That's what I'll offer you some solutions in this post! There are options. 

5. Don't focus on division and hate while you drink it? On the surface this might seem silly, but in reality it's a great practice to focus on gratitude instead of what we're angry about while we're eating. Our thoughts do control the quality of energy that flows through our body, and our energy will affect our digestion. It's not woo-woo voo-doo - many cultures have known this for thousands of years. Did you know that Kung Fu masters can change the properties of water by moving their qi? We've simply lost sight of it in our dumbed-down modern consumerist fast-paced culture. Our minds really do affect our physical health. (I'm not promoting toxic positivity here - there's a time and place to process all emotions, but processing anger should not be done while eating.)

I'll show you what I use for my drinking water. (Bathing water is for a different post.)

The best solution I have found is to filter my water with Reverse Osmosis. It is a very effective way to remove most of what is in your tap water. It's easier than distilling, and allows you to have safe water from a tap in your home. Reverse Osmosis usually involves 5 stages of filtration, sometimes with added UV light to kill anything after the chlorine has been filtered out. Your responsibly is primary just to change filters on time, so it's not that big of a commitment. Personally, I find it way less to manage than buying pounds upon pounds of water from stores.

Let me show you what it does. In these photos I'm using a TDS Meter that measures Parts Per Million (PPM) of water. The PPM are everything in the water that isn't water. This can include good healthy minerals along with heavy metals, chlorine, drugs people flush down the toilet along with anything else the waste water treatment plants can't filter out, fluoride, and any other additives to treat the water. The higher the PPM, the harder and less acceptable the water quality is. In Bismarck, ND, the tap water was normally near 300 PPM (I'll have to dig back through a million photos to find that one to show you.) Here in Gaffney, SC, I have measured it between 44 PPM (shocking low) up to 150 PPM after they did some work on the water pipes under my street. Because the pipes burst open and were leaking. That was the day I started my period, and had zero running water in my house all day long. Ayyy... that's a story for another day. UPDATE: I'm returning to finish this post several months later, and as you'll see in upcoming photos, the tap water here in Gaffney is now over 300 PPM. 

(I'm going to add photos of Bismarck's water here when I find them, but they're at least a year old now and I have to actually dig for them! Keep reading to see how my current system measures though.)


You have a few options:

1. Go to a store that sells the big blue jugs of RO water, then put them into a dispenser at home. This is a lot better than drinking tap water, but the RO water spends a lot of time in plastic stored in warm or sunny areas. Heat is what breaks down the plastic so it leaches into the water. The blue jugs are BPA-free, but the trouble is that what they replaced BPA with is just as harmful... but they're not going to tell you that part of the story, are they?

2. Install an RO water filtration system onto your kitchen sink. This is my favorite solution, but it does help to have some plumbing knowledge to manage it. You also might need permission from a landlord if you don't own your kitchen sink. I bought and installed the APEC filter in my last home.

I highly highly highly recommend it! It brought my PPM down to around 10, and once it started to go up to 20 I knew it was time to change a filter or two. I used the hole for the sprayer in my kitchen sink, and installed a faucet with a built-in sprayer instead. This was very convenient because I could flush the tank directly into the sink when needed, and I could fill my glass with water from the RO faucet at the kitchen sink. 

After years I ran into an issue with the system, but customer service was the best I could have ever asked for. The bladder in the tank was wearing out. At first we used an air compressor to refill the pressure, but that solution didn't last long. The tank itself started to leak, and I found it falling into the wood of the cabinet it was in. The wood was soaking wet. We had help cutting out the wood and replacing it. We had to buy a new tank from APEC, and then we needed help installing it because we couldn't get the water pressure to where it needed to be. APEC spent 40 minutes on the phone with us to walk us through how to fix it ourselves. The guy knew the system inside and out, and he patiently talked us through every step as we did it. He didn't end the call until the problem was resolved. It was amazing! Best customer service ever!

3. You might need to do something less complicated if you're in a rental, or not staying in any place for long. That's my current situation, so I bought this:

 

The SimPure countertop RO water system. (It was $100 less when I bought it last June... INFLATION.) It's ok. Not great, but ok. So much better than nothing. I'll show you:

It only uses 2 filters, rather than the 5 of the under sink RO filter I used to have. It simply can't be as thorough. Where I used to get my PPM down to around 10-15 with that under sink filter, this gets it down to around 50-65. 

Tap water in Gaffney, SC: 308 PPM

Filtered water: 61 PPM, filters are 3 months old, still have 3 months of life left in them.

I would recommend this if you need to buy any portable RO water filtration system... but if you have the ability to install one under your sink, just do it. They cost the same, and the sink system works WAY better. But I'm happy enough with this countertop system for now, while renting. 

My complaint is that it's on rubber feet, so it's hard to move it around on the counter, but I have to move it around to be able to take the water tank out of the back of it to fill it up. I have to fill it about 2x per day for my husband and I. 

It assumes you will only fill glasses with water. It has 3 buttons for the amount of filtered water it will pour out. The trouble is that the amounts for each are a little too little or too much for my glasses. I also need to keep a Pyrex measuring cup next to it because I use it constantly for getting enough filtered water to pour into my tea pot. The teapot itself won't fit under the spout. So... it's a little less than perfect, but it's so much better than nothing. 

My husband only drinks cold water (I can't drink cold water, it hurts me!) So he fills up a pitcher from the RO machine and keeps the filtered water in the fridge. 

So the problem with RO water or distilled water is that the good necessary minerals are filtered out too. It makes the water "dead" so-to-speak. You won't find any water in nature that isn't full of minerals from the rocks and soil it flows through. We're meant to drink the minerals in the water. In fact, our kidneys rely on the minerals in the water to be able to absorb the water. That's okay - just add them back in. You can buy trace mineral to add to your water before you drink it. 

I personally can't drink water without thickening it, otherwise it flows right through me and my kidneys and bladder can't handle it. I get dehydrated by drinking water that isn't thick enough. So I use powdered electrolytes to thicken my water. I use the ones from my naturopathic doctor, but I also like Ulitma a lot because the flavors are great. 

Here's a link for Ulima Electrolytes - You get $5 off with my link, and I get $5 if you use it! 

This is also a great product for all your POTsies reading this - if you have POTS you NEED electrolytes to build your blood. It's critical! Ultima has less sodium than other brands, but it has more electrolytes and no sugar! So just add some Redmond Real Salt to your water if you need extra sodium. That's what I do. 

(It took me close to 6 months to finish writing this post... I started many posts and couldn't finish them, but I knocked this one down... yay me! Life with ME/CFS, Endometriosis, and POTS... sheesh, it's hard to get much done.)

Eivor - Salt

Surging through my body,

The ocean in me.

Crashing waves of memory,

Currents of longing.

Tea Is Amazing When Done Right

I want to talk about this. Yes, going organic makes a HUGE difference. Not a little one.

1. Yes, conventional tea bags are filled with plastic and bleach that do in fact break down into the hot water. Microplastic consumption is not well studied yet, but there are some concerns that are obvious and others perhaps not so obvious. We have been finding microplastics in our organs, including our hearts. Plastic may be a post for another day, but I will point out that it is a source of xenoestrogens, which can make hormonal problems much worse. (If you're like me, this is seriously bad for endometriosis.)

2. Conventional tea has a serious pesticide problem. It's heavily sprayed, and cannot be properly washed without losing the oils that make it flavorful. You end up steeping plastic-lined leaves coated in pesticides in hot water, then drinking it. 

3. Fresh loose leaf organic tea is the highest quality, yes, but not necessarily the best thing for everyone. It takes more education, time, and equipment to make it well. It's messy if you don't have the right equipment. And... paper bags are actually better than stainless steel tea balls. I know I know, that sounds absurd, but the reason is because metals can deactivate properties of herbs. Brewing tea in metal can weaken the strength of the herbs. If all you care about is the flavor and caffeine, then this isn't an issue. If you drink tea for the benefits, such as trying to relieve cold symptoms, then metal is not the best way to brew tea. 

4. There are brands that use certified organic or wildcrafted leaves and herbs (meaning you don't need to worry about the pesticides and the natural oils will still be in the leaves), and they do not use plastics or bleach in their bags. I want to share some of my favorites with you!

5. Pay attention to the bag, even in organic brands. Some use paper, some use hemp, and some use a nylon-like substance made from corn. The corn-based "plastic" bags are difficult to distinguish from synthetic plastic, so I wouldn't trust a brand that doesn't prove it or certify it.

(Disclaimer: I make a small percentage off any product you buy through my link. I would show these products on other websites or encourage you to shop at your local health food store, but I'm showing you on Amazon because they offer this marketing program. Also, Amazon can be a life-saver for many of us who live in remote areas and are too disabled to go shopping regularly.)

Numi Tea

Numi is one of my favorites! Their teas are full of rich flavor, and they use tea leaf and herb combinations that are really interesting. They're creative, and they source from the best areas in the world. You really will taste the flavor difference. If you are someone who doesn't like black tea because it tastes weak, then you really ought to try Numi's breakfast blend because it's not weak at all. 

The Sampler:
This is an awesome place to start. Try a good variety of their teas! 

Favorite Numi Tea:

Breakfast Blend! This is so full and rich, with complex flavors that mingle perfectly. There are bitter elements, but it's so smooth! I drink this on days when I need a little extra caffeine (caffeine helps my POTS, not hurt it like it does for many.) I'm linking to a 3-pack because that's simply how it's sold on Amazon, but the price is actually really good. You would probably pay about $7-8 for one box in a retail store. 

Honorable mentions:

Japanese Green Tea Variety Pack. I love green tea more than any other type. The issue is, I tend to drink Matcha every morning. So I don't drink bagged green teas as often. They're so good, but I shouldn't drink that much caffeine in a day! Ha! 

Rooibos Chai. No caffeine, but has more of the dark bitter taste I enjoy in tea vs other naturally caffeine-free tea. It's earthy, warming, soothing, and flavorful. Rooibos can be helpful in relieving stomach pressure and cramping, and the spices can help warm your digestive tract up to help with flow. 

Organic India

This brand is not for everyone, but it will be amazing for some. The reason is because they include Tuli (Holy Basil) in all of their teas. Holy Basil is quite amazing in its ability to lower cortisol levels. Feeling stressed? Holy Basil will calm you down. If you have high cortisol in the mornings, you will probably feel better drinking their green tea. If you're like me and have low morning cortisol, then you'll feel a lot worse in the morning if you drink it. (I made this mistake when I was a church secretary. I bought the tea thinking it would wake me up, but my eyes were crossing so bad that day. I learned about Holy Basil after.)

If you're like me and have high night time cortisol, then I HIGHLY recommend their Tulsi Sleep. This one is a staple for me each evening: 

Choice Organics

This brand is awesome. They offer a really pleasant full-bodied cup of tea without any worry. They are certified in many areas, including using compostable paper tea bags. The brand is trustworthy, good quality, and offers a good variety. Choice Tea is not quite as rich as Numi, but I think many will prefer that anyway. 

My personal favorite from their is their decaf black tea, for days when I don't want more caffeine, but I want to warm up in the afternoon. I may add some coconut milk and peppermint to it occasionally too. 🤤 



Who is a fan of Darjeeling and Oolong tea!? ME! Haha! They offer it - fully organic, kosher, non-GMO, compostable... it's one of the primary reasons I love Choice so much. They offer the best Chinese Teas at high standards! That's not easy to find in other brands.

Stay tuned for more posts about tea! I drink A LOT of tea, and I do have more great recommendations. 

I'd love to hear from you - what kind of tea do you like best? If you don't like tea, why not?

(Hahahaha - I'm not saying the song is good, I'm just saying it's appropriate. 😆) 

Grocery Shopping

Grocery shopping.

First a history lesson.

I live in a city where the natural and organic food options went from slim options to moderate options over the course of a few years. At first we had to go to one of two grocery stores for organic foods. One only had a few vegetables and some organic shelf-stable options were mixed in with all the other non-organic food. The other store has its own Natural Foods section, which has always been a decent little corner in the store, and had more organic produce options than the other store. Or you could go to Walmart, which had a lawsuit several years ago about putting organic labels on conventional produce to make a higher profit. I have major trust issues with Walmart. Basically, we had slim pickings. The produce was rarely ever fresh. It had to be shipping in from so far away. The only way to get fresh produce was to go to farmers markets. The type of produce sold there was limited, and there were only a couple of vendors. I also have a super rough time with mornings, and that's when they're happening.

Then a few years ago our city opened a Community Food Co-op. Finally! A place to get local organic/ non-sprayed produce with greater options for other organic groceries! They also offered locally sourced grass fed beef and lamb that never ate grains! It was a miracle! I was really excited about this. The problem is that this co-op has had a really rocky few years since opening. The meat department started out fantastic. They had a choice of local cuts, they made their own smoked meats, made their own sausages, and kept a variety. They slowly stopped carrying any fresh (non-frozen) local meat. That deteriorated into no fresh non-packaged meat. Now their meat cooler only has prepackaged options from regional brands, and then a freezer with local beef, pork, and lamb. They have always carried Smart Chicken, which I like, but they used to carry local whole chickens. I haven't seen those in years. Their produce section didn't have it quite as rough as the meat department, but there were some rough patches. Overall they have still had the best selection of fresh organic foods in town, and most of the time I'm happy with my produce from them. Local means fresh! But not always - not when people don't buy it fast enough and it sits there too long. It's not their fault.

I work a health products store (Terry's Health Products) that sells frozen and shelf-stable foods. We have made a strong effort to make our food section good, and I can get a lot of my regular staples there. We don't carry any fresh foods, but there's plenty else we carry. I'm not being biased by saying that the store I work at has been a saving grace for my city for many many years. It has always filled in gaps in the local market, thankfully! If you live near me then I strongly encourage you to consider us as part of your grocery shopping stops, because we have things no one else in town has.

So then Natural Grocers decided to come to town. They just opened last month. I can't tell you how many people were really excited that they were coming - acting like it was an answer to all the grocery problems in this city. Having shopped there when I lived in Boise, I knew what to expect, and the store turned out to be exactly what I expected. It's probably a miracle store for some types of shoppers. But I am not the kind of shopper the store is targeted to. Their produce is not local, and has the same problem as the other stores: it's not as fresh as I want because of the shipping time. Their produce section also focuses heavily on fruits and potatoes... starches and sugars, just like what most shelf-stable foods focus on. The typical American diet. They do not have a meat department, just some pre-packaged options that they have been mostly or entirely sold out of the 3 times I've been there. The one thing they carry that I can't get anywhere else in town is organic turkey deli meat without any sugar, carrageenan, starches, flavors, or other additives. It's just turkey and salt. Unlike Applegate, who just cannot seem to ever get it right (potato starch - seriously!?) I was hoping that their frozen vegetable selection would offer some variety. Nope, not really. It's just more of what every other store carries, plus some frozen mushrooms and okra (I can't have either.) So... do I really have much reason to shop there except to stock up on deli meat? An entire natural foods store, and as an organic health foodie I can't find much there that fits my standards. This is a normal problem for me.

Now that you have my history lesson, I want to explain how I shop. I get asked this often, so I'll enlighten you.

I do not eat any sugars, starches, dairy, grains, fruits, nightshades, pork, most fish, sulfurous foods, carrageenan, enriched foods, artificial ingredients, or anything with added vitamins. I also avoid most non-sugar sweeteners and natural and artificial flavors. This is not about preference, it's about my health. I don't have much choice - my body will make that clear if I try and cheat.

I eat pasture raised organic meats, certain vegetables, certain nuts and seeds, and certain oils. That's it.

Basically, I don't eat 95% of what is offered in any grocery store. Just because it's organic and "clean" doesn't mean it's good for me, but these stores like Whole Foods, Natural Grocers, Kroger, and Trader Joe's and the like will try to make you think it is good for you. There are a lot of people out there who just care that their food is natural and organic, and they'll still buy the typical cereals, sauces, pastas, energy bars... you know, the same foods they would buy at Walmart, just the organic version. If that's the type of shopper you are then these stores are perfect for you! That is not the type of shopper I am. Anymore. I used to be that type of shopper, and I was like a kid in a candy store in these types of stores. But my health doesn't allow me to eat any organic food I want to (that I'm not allergic to) anymore. 

What these stores don't do very well is cater to people like me, who are on restricted diets. There is some effort to cater to the Keto and Paleo diets, but I haven't been impressed with most of those efforts. Paleo granola still has bananas, honey, or maple syrup. How is that Paleo? Why is it a fundamental requirement that all pre-packaged foods have a sweetener in them? Where are the Paleo granolas without starchy nuts (cashews) and without sweeteners added? I can find Keto friendly breads without the grains and sugars, but then they're full of tapioca starch. Ummm... that's not Keto. Sorry, nice try, but starches will pull you out of ketosis. Especially when people eat those Keto-friendly processed foods on a regular basis. If you're not trying to stay in Ketosis and you can tolerate some starches then these breads are AMAZING. Seriously. They're very good. But they do not work for me... can you tell I tried? My gut told me to stop eating them. My actual gut, not my intuition.

So.

My main food is meat. I need to eat protein every two hours. I need a lot of protein to be stable. I order a quarter cow at a time directly from a local farm. It's certified organic and grass-fed, and they never eat grains (except some of their cows will be fed organic oats in the winter.) I pay around $800-1,000 for my quarter cow, and I buy a quarter 2-3 times a year. I have to buy my free-range chicken and lamb from the local co-op, and I probably buy $25 of chicken per week from them. You might think this is crazy expensive! Keep in mind that I'm not spending my money on other groceries - I put my budget into these quality meats and don't buy tons of other foods.

My second main food are vegetables. Non-starchy, non-nightshade, non-sulfurous vegetables. My options are fairly limited, but cheating and eating other veggies hurts. A lot. Sorry, broccoli is not good for me at all, which royally sucks because it's delicious and has great texture. Because I'm so restricted, I can't sign up for a program through one of the local organic farms where they send me a box a week. I'll get too many vegetables I can't eat, but I love those programs for other people so much. I can't get to the farmer's markets due to the times they are at, sadly. But this is where the local food co-op is a huge blessing for me. They have fresh local organic produce. They don't have every thing I want, but I am happy with what they do have. I stop there on the way home from work (it's on the way) and load up on veggies and Smart Chicken and lamb a couple times per week.

The store I work at has the nuts and seeds I can eat. Sprouted pumpkin seeds, sprouted sunflower seeds, pine nuts, and occasional sprouted almonds. All organic. I also get my jerky, vinegar, coconut aminos, coconut wraps, paleo avocado oil mayo without yolks (sulfur in the yolks), frozen veggies, collagen creamer for my tea, tea, and my spices there. I probably spend a lot of my paycheck on groceries there, ha!

Now I'm adding in Natural Grocers as a 3rd store, but really just for my deli meat. I went there today and wandered around a lot, not seeing anything else for me. That doesn't make them a bad store. They're just not catering to me.

I also shop on Vitacost.com as needed. They used to carry a lot that I couldn't find in town, but this year I've been able to find more of what I need in town. Sometimes it's way cheaper to buy from them and I'll choose them anyway.



Is the issue here me, or is it an issue with the industry? Both.

There are brands doing it right. I love those brands, I support them, and I encourage others to eat them. There are brands that are doing it right who I recommend, even though I can't eat their products due to certain ingredients.

But there are a lot of brands who just want their food to be the best tasting option. They don't care if that means they have to add sugar and starches. They don't care if that means they have to use a less healthy oil or cooking method. The ingredients might be organic, but that doesn't mean it's healthy or of the highest quality. Foods like this make up most of the industry. If you're like my husband, then this is a very good thing. He wants to only eat delicious foods and just prefers that they're organic. He loves the convenience of a can of hearty soup full of cream and potatoes and with lots of thickeners. :) I cannot be like my husband, even if I want to be, because I'll get sick eating that way. I'm far from the only one with my types of restrictions too. There should be a much bigger market for people like me.

I would probably eat a lot more packaged foods if only they followed my rules. Broth in glass without nightshades, yeast, or sugar. Paleo crackers without starches or too much vinegar (vinegar is sulfurous). Jerky without nightshades. Olives in glass without red wine vinegar. Frozen mixed vegetables without corn or nightshades and preferably in waxed paper packaging . Sunflower seed butter without sugar and with salt (I need the salt!) Paleo bread without egg yolks and starches, and maybe using a mix of nut flours beyond just almond flour (I can tolerate some, just not often.) Paleo protein powder bars without erythritol and cashews (I'm looking at you, Bulletproof - get rid of those cashews please!) You get the idea. There are a lot of products that are almost right for me.

Maybe now you understand why I don't get too excited about the organic industry. I love that the industry exists and I'm passionate about food. This industry is very very important. But I don't trust it. I find companies within the industry that are trustworthy and I stick with them. Most organic brands don't make anything for me. I am extremely judgemental and critical of foods, but I think that protects me and is a healthy thing.

But as you can see, I'm able to eat well. I'm able to find what I need. I'm able to not settle for less than what is right for me. I just had to have the determination to figure out how to shop and the willpower to stick to it. It's been working for me!

Maine and Acadia National Park (Doctor Visit/ Vacation)

Last week I was halfway across the country again to visit my doctor. At this point I have nothing I want to say about lab results or my examination, so this post won't be about that. I made some enlightening observations and have some stories to share. 

I spent 2 full 8 hour days at his clinic doing therapies, such as hyperbaric oxygen chamber, sauna, IVs, acupuncture, and more. The winning therapy for me this visit was the colonic irrigation. I knew my gut wasn't working well when I arrived. I didn't have a concept of just how stuffed it turned out to be. Before I give you too much information, I'll stop there. 2 colonics from 2 awesome nurses later I noticed major symptom relief. My acne (which was starting to make me look like a teenager) totally cleared up. My vision was less fuzzy again. My hiatial hernia feels like it's gone. The pressure in my upper back and shoulders is gone. I'm not burping or feeling mild heartburn anymore. Best of all? My mood! Despite raging PMS, I felt peace. This tranquility and calm took over, and I felt like I didn't have to force myself to be kind anymore. My last colonic was 9 days ago. Today I started my period (hellish pain), but guess what? The bloat went away. I dropped 5 pounds (overnight, seriously) and for the first time in who knows how long my stomach looks flat. I feel light and thin.

I took this after just getting up from laying in bed from last night until 2 pm in some pretty nasty endometriosis pain (and with a sedating pain killing tincture still flowing through me)... so ignore my tired face. It's not the best angle to see my stomach, and I'm not sure I have a photo so you can compare, but believe me. My stomach isn't bulging like it was during PMS and pre-colonic. I normally can't wear this tank (medium Pact racerback) because my stomach is too bloated for it, but it fits well now!



You might be wondering why I haven't been doing gut cleanses here at home. I actually was. I take DGL regularly, and use aloe vera with slippery elm as needed. I also take vitamin C and magnesium citrate. In fact, the week before I got on the plane, my local acupuncturist had me on an herb blend with a strong laxative effect (and she didn't tell me.) Let's just say it was working and I was in the bathroom often. It just doesn't do the same thing as a colonic. All that water from the other end does wonders.

My other therapies were very helpful too. I love glutathione and vitamin C IVs so much. They wake up a part of me that I forget exists. I don't know how to explain it, but I feel more complete for a while after them. 

This was one of my German footbaths. This is not that silly type of detox footbath that turns colors based on what the water pulls out from your feet (hint: the water in those turns colors even if your feet are not in it!) This is a seaweed blend and it feels amazing on my purple freezing feet. 

Normally my mom travels with me to see my doctor. This time my husband insisted on taking me so he could make a vacation out of it. As much as I love to explore, I was honestly really nervous to vacation. I was unsure that I'd have the strength and energy, and I knew I'd end up holding him back from doing as much as he wanted to. He doesn't like to stay in one place long, he likes to see as much as possible and pack the day full. I used to be the same before I got sick. Now I like the idea of finding a pretty park in a new place and relaxing there for a while.

My doctor is in Portsmouth, New Hampshire (Human Nature Natural Health.) The first evening we got to relax on the deck of our Airbnb (I'll blog about finding Airbnb's that are safe later.) We had the most beautiful sunset to watch. That last evening we went to a Jazz Club downtown - not the sort of thing I'd normally do after 2 full days of therapies that leave me very calm, peaceful, and just wanting rest to soak it in. Also not the type of place my MCS normally allows me to tolerate. I was able to relax in my chair and enjoy it with a locally grown salad full of veggies I could actually eat. It was actually a fairly safe place for me to be that evening, surprisingly!




After 2 days there, we drove up to Portland, Maine for the day. Neither of us really liked Portland all that well. Everywhere we went people were either smoking cigarettes or marijuana. The downtown stone streets smelled like smoke, which was really disappointing. It was upscale swanky shopping for things that really were not that interesting. I found a store that said "organic apparel" on its sign, so I went in. No joke, all they sold were glass blown bongs and female sex toys. (Glass sex toys? Really?) No clothing anywhere. I went into Irish Crystal store - I had to know what Irish crystals were. There were no crystals, just a ton of very dusty old merchandise that I think was supposed to have been imported.

Finding dinner in Portland was maddeningly difficult. There are two Greek places in Portsmouth where I can get lamb kabobs that I do really well with. Portland? There are a crazy number of restaurants. So many of them only serve less than 10 dishes. Most of them are so unique, like culinary art dishes, that I couldn't eat any of them. I couldn't just get a steak because they were all marinated. We settled on a restaurant on a boat and I ordered haddock with asparagus. They did listen to my dietary needs and allergies, they did make it just as I asked for. But I found myself with a mild allergic reaction (tingling lips and a swollen throat.) Probably cross contamination.

The next day we drove up the coast all the way to Surry, ME (just north of Acadia National Park.) It was a full day of driving and stopping at interesting places along the way. I was so drained, so sitting in a car all day just looking at stuff was helpful. We got out at a few interesting places. 

Rockport, ME

A big bridge with an observatory on top of one of the pillars.

We arrived at our Airbnb in Surry that evening and found dinner at place in Ellsworth that worked out well for me. A smaller town, but much more simple menus! Notice how finding food that doesn't hurt me is a theme on this trip? I was able to cook every breakfast at our "homes," thankfully. We went into a couple of Whole Foods and stocked up on easy grass-fed hamburgers and veggies so I could cook breakfast. I also brought my own stainless steel pan. I know that sounds crazy, but I couldn't risk getting stuck with Teflon pans.

Surry, ME Airbnb - this place was great! Highly recommend for sensitive people like myself!

<sub><sup>We spent the last two days in Acadia National Park. Now this is where the trip gets interesting for me in terms of health. Obviously I wasn't going to do as well in cities with lots of people, pollution, and poor food options. I seem to get along with National Parks very very well!

The first day was an overcast costal misty kind of day, where it wasn't actually raining, but the mist got everything wet. I love those kind of days. We spent the first part of the day in Bar Harbor, which was everything I was hoping Portland was going to be and wasn't. The air was fresh, the streets were filled with truly interesting shops that were not filled with fragrance, it had fantastic organic and local food options, and such a pretty view. My husband doesn't like shopping, but he was enjoying the stores and we had fun. There was a hemp textile store (my favorite), a fair trade shop, a bookstore with a huge discount section of awesome books (I can't flip thorough many of them due to the ink, but my husband scored big time), an old fashioned clock making factory shop, gem and mineral stores, and more. I loved that I was able to go into many of these places with little issue. That's so rare for me. There were a few stores that I walked in and walked right out due to incense or fragrance, but overall most of the shops seemed to understand that people don't want to smell anything.

In the afternoon we drove the main loop in Acadia National Park. I loved the overcast mood over the park from the mist. It brought out all sorts of tones and colors in the trees and ocean that were not there when the sun was out that evening and the next day. We had the park mostly to ourselves. It was a Friday before Memorial Day weekend, so it wasn't busy at all. Perfection.</sup></sub> 

My hubby and I after arriving in the park

On top of Cadillac Mountain. I took this while in the middle of a cloud that was blowing across the peak. It was cold, but stunningly beautiful. 

After the cloud blew through I snapped this photo of the view. Breathtaking! 

I climbed over some of the rocky cliffs to take lots of photos like this

Me enjoying climbing close to the edge

The sun came out, so I hiked down these rocky cliffs and fond a cozy spot to lay in the sun. My hubby snapped the photo. He knew this was how I wanted to spend vacation: laying in the sun in a beautiful place!

<sub><sup>The next day we spent the majority of the day in the park. It was a very different day. The sun was out the whole day, it was warm... and the tourists started to show up. By the later afternoon the park was full and it was hard to find places to park at the attractions. Thankfully by that point we had seen most of the park without people in the way. 
I was feeling well enough so I picked out a trail to hike. Yes, I wanted to hike! I wouldn't say I had energy, but I felt strong enough. I felt in control. I felt capable. It took us 2 hours to hike the trail, and there was no warning about the difficulty level. The trail started easy, just walking on a path. Then, a ways into it, turned into slightly advanced trails on rocks and narrow wooden bridges. Then there were some vertical areas. As in, the path was no longer horizontal. We had to rock climb down maybe 20 to 30 feet in a few places. I was so not prepared for that.

But guess what? My heart rate was fine. Stayed in the 90's and low 100's. It was a challenging trail that left me sore, but my body enjoyed it. It wasn't giving me any trouble. The same thing happened in Glacier National Park. When I walk around easy Bismarck trails here at home my HR tends to be in the 120's up to 170's. I go to a National Park and hike advanced trails and my HR is actually lower, my breathing is great, I'm not dizzy, and I feel strong. What's the difference? Well, a lot. It goes to show I'm not out of shape. I could be in much better shape, but I don't have a deconditioning problem. In these parks I get dense fresh clean air. No dryer sheets, car exhaust, cigarette smoke, smelly deodorant on other people, pesticides, mosquito fogging... it's just pure clean fresh air. There's also no cell service, so no EMFs. This makes for a profoundly different environment. 

The problem is that I didn't feel energetic, only capable. I did end up hitting a brick wall near the end of the trail. I reached my limit of what my body could handle. I felt my mood suddenly drop, then my vision started to stagger and shake a bit, then my whole body started to shake, then I couldn't prevent involuntary crying, and then I felt the need to faint. But I didn't. Because my body resists fainting. It really likes to make me suffer through all the pre-fainting feelings until I sit or lay down. My heart hurt so badly. It was banging against my rib cage. I had air hunger. Everything was swaying. I felt like I was walking on a boat, but it was land. I ate some jerky, but it didn't seem to a be a blood sugar issue. Thankfully my hubby helped me get to the car and I was able to recover while he drove. When we got to the car there was an ambulance and firetruck at the trail head... I was worried about whoever they were there for, but also thinking to myself that I was so happy to know they were there if I had needed them. 
So I had a POTS episode. But otherwise I survived a 2 hour hike on a drop-dead gorgeous coastal cliff trail!</sup></sub> 

I choose the Great Head Trail

I wanted to do the tree, but I didn't want my dirty foot on my pants, so I did an awkward incomplete version. Hahaha

I enjoyed climbing all over these cliff edges. That's a long way down!

This was the view of Sand Beach from the peak of the trail, a very rare natural beach on the Maine Coast

I found another great place for a nap on the cliff edge!

I forgot how to pose in photos, so I just did silly things

Yes, this park was therapy. My doctor's clinic was necessary therapy, but so was this park.

Even though I have chronic fatigue and it's difficult for me to do much, spending the energy I do have in places that revitalizes me is really important. I'm recovered just enough that I'm able to travel for medical reasons, and able to do simple things on vacation if I'm driven around. I can't do the driving myself anymore. It's very overstimulating and overwhelming. New places used to be invigorating to me. But as long as I don't over do it and I have the right person taking me on the trip, every once in a while a trip like this really helps. Of course I have to factor in that I had just had 2 days of therapies from my doctor! It was like taking a pill that gave me quality of life and stimulation just long enough to actually go on a vacation. I highly doubt I could manage a trip to a city like New York - I don't have the energy for that. I would collapse. But driving around and walking as I'm able to makes for a healthy vacation.

The next day we flew home, but we started the day in Bangor, ME. Any Stephen King Fans? We had a bit of time to see a few landmarks, but here are 2. The statue from IT and Stephen King's house!



I could tell you a bunch of stories, like homeless people standing at our car door and making it impossible to get out, sitting next to a Canadian ER nurse on the plane, talking to a cancer patient at my doctor's clinic... but I don't have the energy. I wanted to share these highlights instead.