Sunday, July 9, 2006 - Why We Raise So Many Animals, Part 2 |
Well, here I am with part 2 of my series on why we have so many farm animals.
There
are many reasons for raising your own food. The most important reason,
in our opinion, is that you know exactly what you are getting, which is
not the case when you buy from the store. Even the basics (milk, eggs,
bread, meat) are not always exactly what you think you’re getting. When
you raise your own, this is not an issue. You know what you feed them,
and you know the way your animals have been treated. In our case, we
try to raise our animals as much on grass as we possibly can (except
the dog and cats, of course). Research has shown that grass-fed animals
give the most nutritious meat, eggs, and milk. So there are health
benefits in doing it yourself. This is the main reason we started
getting all of these animals. Websites we found helpful in researching
nutritional issues are Dr. Mercola’s Blog, and The Weston Price Foundation.
Here are just a few ways that home-grown, grass-fed animal foods are more healthful than store-bought varieties:
- Raw milk is much more healthful than pasteurized (cooked) milk.
- No antibiotics, chemicals or growth hormones are added to home-grown meat.
Some
of these foods can be bought (for a high price) in health food stores,
but some cannot. For example, it is actually illegal to sell raw milk
in our state. We believe that raw milk is so important that we have our
own dairy goats. Also, it is impossible to know for sure if what a
store’s products’ labels say are true. Many companies which claim to be
“organic” are not necessarily as organic as they should be.
Next time I will talk about another reason we “do farm stuff”: the animal-food connection.
Blessings!
Amey
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Thursday, June 8, 2006 - Celebrating an Anniversary |
I'm happy to announce that it has been one year since we ditched our microwave! Yahoo! Last spring my husband and I read about the damage using a microwave can do to your health, and we decided we wouldn't use it anymore. We bought an awesome toaster oven
to replace it. I find that I do not even miss our microwave. Here's
what you have to watch out for if you are looking to switch from a
microwave to toaster oven:
- You can't just reach into a toaster oven and pull a dish out without potholders!
- Be sure to allow enough time to heat up your food. For us,
something that would have taken one minute in a microwave takes about 8
or 9 minutes in a toaster oven. Be honest. A few extra minutes is not
that big of a deal. Just plan ahead.
- If you were used to keeping your microwave higher than
counter-top level, and you want to put your toaster oven in the exact
spot your microwave was in, watch out! Those toaster oven doors open
down rather than to the side, and it is easy to burn your arm on the
door. Trust me on that one. This is experience talkin'.
- Be sure you buy an oven that is large enough to hold the dishes you normally would want to heat things up in.
- Related tip: no PLASTIC! Does this even need to be said?!?
Happy re-heating and blessings!
Amey
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Thursday, May 18, 2006 - Our Latest Health Change: No Juice |
My kids are (almost) 3, 5, and 7 years old. About a month ago I finally
succeeded in eliminating the fruit juice from their diet. I thought it
would be a difficult thing to do. Anymore, it seems like juice is just
a "kid staple". Especially the ubiquitous apple juice. Now my kids
drink mainly raw goat milk and water. And they like it! They've asked
about juice a couple of times maybe, but they don't seem to miss it
much at all.
They only drink juice on special occasions now (in their Easter
baskets, I gave them each a juice box of organic juice). Over the
winter, about once a week as a treat, I would squeeze oranges (I used
the juicer on my food processor) for fresh orange juice. It takes a lot
of oranges to make just a little bit of juice! So making our own orange
juice also helped us keep our orange juice servings small. It seems
logical to me to think that fresh squeezed fruit juices are better for
you than the canned/jarred/jugged stuff. All those store juices are
pasteurized, so any natural enzymes that are in fresh juice are
probably cooked dead when they're bottled. I tend to believe that
occasional fresh fruit juice is ok, and makes for a nice "treat" now
and then.
Dr. Mercola
suggests starting to wean your kids off of juice by diluting it with
water just a little at a time. Even before we stopped drinking juice,
the juice I did give them was probably about 2/3 juice and 1/3 water. I
think that helps the transition a lot. Here's a quote from the Mercola
article I just linked to above:
This
is why we decided to stop buying apple juice for our kids. Maybe now my
kids can wean me off of the coffee I've started drinking AGAIN. 
Blessings!
Amey
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Friday, March 17, 2006 - Book Review: Fast Food Nation |
Fast Food Nation, by Eric
Schlosser, is the most recent book I've read. I never eat fast food, so
I'm not quite sure why this book interested me so much. I figured this
book would tell some pretty disgusting tales about the fast food
industry, but it wasn't as bad as I had originally imagined. Bad
enough, mind you, but just not what I thought it would be.
The most interesting chapter told about the risks of working in the
meatpacking plants that supply fast food burgers. This was written
before Mad Cow Disease made its appearance in the U.S., so e. coli was
the major problem at this time. I had never really contemplated the
dangers of working and cleaning in a meatpacking plant until I read
this book. But come to think of it, how could it not be risky with all
those sharp tools (knives, grinders, slicers, etc.) around.
Another interesting section told about the laboratories where
artificial and natural flavors are "created". Scientists actually
create flavors that taste natural (beef, apple, strawberry, etc.), but
are made from chemicals. Yuck. Care for a McNugget?
Overall, this book is obviously coming from a "lefty" perspective.
Schlosser was just as concerned about unions and the workers as
he was with food safety, and when he did address food safety, it was
along the lines of the government needing to do better.
I tend to think that the government, as messed up as it is, shouldn't
really have much of a role in regulating food safety (NAIS comes to
mind). Couldn't there be a private company that could certify certain
foods as being e-coli- or mad cow- free (or whatever). This would be
something like "certified organic". There are so many things that the
government messes up, and I think you could add this to the list. Am I
a Crunchy Con? (That's my next book: Crunchy
Cons: How Birkenstocked Burkeans, gun-loving organic gardeners,
evangelical free-range farmers, hip homeschooling mamas, right-wing
nature lovers, and their diverse tribe of countercultural conservatives
plan to save America (or at least the Republican Party), by Rod Dreher)
I would have liked to have heard more about the adverse effects fast
food has on your health, but I have heard that is covered pretty well
in the movie/documentary, Supersize Me! I haven't actually seen that movie yet (don't know if I will, either).
This book was very much worth reading, and I would recommend it.
Guess what? I still won't be eating fast food anytime soon.
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Tuesday, February 21, 2006 - You Be the Judge |
Fact: We have been sugar-free for one whole year.
Fact: We have
had 2 colds total (for 5 people) so far this winter (last year when we
were sugared up our colds numbered as the stars in the sky, the grains
of sand by the sea).
Fact: Last week my children had birthday cake with ice cream three times (over two parties; one helping was leftovers).
Fact: One loving, well-meaning, super-duper relative (I love this lady)
gave my kids Valentine's Day chocolate candy last week. They each had
about one piece a day for 4-5 days.
Fact: Two of my three children are now sick with colds. The third has the beginnings of a sore throat.
Is it just me or is there a connection here? Be the judge for me. Tell
me what you think. You know, I hate being the spoil-sport when it comes
to my children enjoying sugary goodies, but when I have to suction out
my dear 2-year-old daughter's nose, I know that it is just not worth
it!  Sign me up for another year of sugar-free.
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Tuesday, January 31, 2006 - Coconut Oil: My Experience |
Here's the story on my experience with coconut oil (thanks for asking, Amber).
I first read about the benefits of coconut oil last spring on Dr.
Mercola's blog. I was skeptical that it would actually help with weight
loss, but decided to start using it, just based on its nutritional
benefits. That was in April. Over the next few months, I noticed I was
losing weight. I don't weigh myself regularly, so I didn't realize it
at first. In March, I weighed somewhere between 160 and 165 lbs. By the
end of June, the range was 140-145 lbs. I lost 20 lbs. without really
even realizing it! Here are the possible contributing factors, for me:
I was refined sugar-free at this time. Also, I had already stopped
cooking with all trans-fats and vegetable oils (canola, corn, soybean,
etc.). I had no exercise plan in place (unless you count lifting
laundry baskets and chasing toddlers), and I was not dieting in any
other way.
I was really not cooking much with coconut oil. At that time I was
cooking with some coconut oil (Spectrum Organic refined, which is
cheaper than the really good stuff), butter, and olive oil. What I
would do, is eat about one tablespoon of the Garden of Life coconut oil
(Extra virgin, organic, not bleached, refined or deodorized) in the
morning, either straight off the spoon (tastes great!), or on my
oatmeal (I didn't microwave my oatmeal or the coconut oil, and I think
that might make a difference).
Here are the brands that I have tried:
LouAnn (cheapest of the cheap from Wal-Mart; wouldn't buy it again)
Spectrum Organic (ok to cook with, I still think, but not as high quality as others)
Garden of Life (still my favorite - best tasting and highest quality, I think)
Nutiva (my husband's favorite, he had similar results with this brand; also very high quality)
Tropical Traditions (recommended by Dr. Mercola)
Jarrow (I think that's the name; also high quality, tastes like Nutiva brand)
Here are a couple of links from Dr. Mercola that talk about coconut oil, why it's gotten a bad rap, and why it's so good for you.
The weight loss benefit apparently comes because coconut oil speeds up
your metabolism. I found that when I first started eating the coconut
oil that it took me longer to get hungry later in the day, and it also
gave me a boost of energy. About olive oil: it is good for you, but
only if you don't cook with it. I believe that cooking with olive oil
results in the formation of some trans-fats. It is very good for you
when you eat it raw (salads, on bread, etc.), but unlike coconut oil,
it is fattening. Personally, I still use an olive oil cooking
spray, just because it's so quick and easy to spray a pan, as opposed
to coating it with butter or coconut oil. But once I figure out a
better way of coating my pans, I probably will.
I hope this is helpful. I know different people have different ideas
about fats and oils, and this is one view that you don't hear very
often. Usually we hear how terrible for us saturated fats are, but I
think this is misinformation.
Blessings!
Amey
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Wednesday, January 25, 2006 - Sweet Treats for the Sugar-Free Family, Part 2 |
I forgot to add: hot chocolate! We had some this afternoon. I just
warmed some raw milk in a pan with a few spoonfuls of organic cocoa (I
have the Rapunzel brand), and when it's nice and warm add honey to
taste. Yummy!
I think that finding a few little treats like this is important if you
want to go sugar-free, because otherwise, staying sugar-free is just
not that realistic. Your taste buds do adjust to being sugar-free, and
you taste more sweetness in your "regular" food, but every once in a
while, you need a treat. Otherwise, your diet just becomes...joyless.
We don't have treats like these every
day, but a few times a week is nice. And I think that endulging your
sweet tooth once in a while is a God-given blessing - there are just so
many sweeteners out there other than refined sugar, that it's not that
difficult to avoid it.
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Wednesday, January 25, 2006 - Sweet Treats for the Sugar-Free Family |
I've noticed a number of ladies posting about going sugar-free.We have
been refined sugar-free since last February (and off and on before
that), so I thought I'd list a few of our favorite treats for the sweet
tooth. We enjoy:
- Freshly-squeezed orange juice (this is a treat for us, since we don't drink much juice)
- Fruit/pumpkin pies (Rapadura)
- Honey ice cream (we like ours with a little bit of coconut milk or cream too)
- Honey sticks
- Larabars and Thinkorganic! bars (date-sweetened)
- Date rolls (I find mine at Trader Joe's, but I've seen them in
many other health-food stores. They are just pureed dates formed into
cylinder shapes, then rolled in coconut or nuts. To the taste buds not
used to refined sugar, they taste just like candy! )
- Toast with lots of butter and honey (don't forget about this one!)
- Fruit leather
- Pancakes and french toast are great sweet treats (we use honey or real maple syrup on ours)
- Real whipped cream (honey) goes great on the pumpkin pie
- Smoothies are also good without any sugar or maybe just a little
bit of honey, although we haven't been drinking them much lately
We have found that many people seem to think that our children are
deprived, depressed little people since we don't give them sugar. But
to our kids, these kinds of treats are just normal. They love them! 
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Tuesday, January 24, 2006 - Kefir Madness |
My husband is loving the kefir, and I've been faithfully making and
straining it about once a day. The process is this: you put the kefir
grains into a jar with about 1/4-cup of the kefir from the previous
batch. Then you add 3 cups of fresh milk. Close the jar and let it sit
in a dark place at room temperature for 24-36 hours. The longer it
sits, the fizzier it gets and the stronger the taste. Then you strain
out the kefir grains, use the kefir and repeat the process with a new
batch.
I have used it to soak oatmeal overnight for porridge in the mornings.
I'm drinking a small amount also, although I am just not used to it. I
need to ease into by using it in smoothies or drinking it with a few
bites of banana.
The most comprehensive website on kefir seems to be Dom's kefir site.
There's so much information on this page, though, that it seems a
little disorganized and overwhelming to read. If you know of any other
good places to read about kefir, send me the link!
I have tried the powder kefir from Urban Homemaker, and now I have the
actual kefir grains, and I have to tell you, there is a big difference
between the two. To make the powdered stuff, you have to heat the milk
up (basically pasteurizing the milk). This kefir tastes very much like
a runny kind of yogurt. With the actual kefir grains (which look like
gelatinous white blobs), the milk never gets any warmer than room
temperature. And it tastes more fermented and fizzy than yogurt-y.
I hope I have my facts correct on kefir. If any of you kefir experts
out there have any comments or corrections to make in what I wrote,
please do! I'd like to hear from you!
Amey
p.s. no baby goats yet, but I am in a state of nervous anticipation. Any day now!
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Monday, January 2, 2006 - 2005: A Health Odyssey |
Baby steps can sure add up over a
year's time. Here's where we (my husband and I - and our family)
were this time last year, and what we've accomplished in 2005:
January: We were already not using any transfats. It had been probably
about 5 years since I stopped buying products with transfats. We were
also already using fresh eggs (either our own, or from our neighbors,
the Amish). Our children were already drinking only 4-6 ounces of apple
juice a day, with the rest of their drinks being milk and water. We ate
refined sugar almost daily.
February: Stopped refined
sugar. Increased consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables.
Decreased amount of milk our children drank.
March: Started
eating coconut oil (I like Garden of Life brand the best). Started
losing weight (about 20 pounds over 3-4 months; both my husband and
myself). I think the coconut oil is the reason why, although cutting
out sugar probably helped.
April: Became avid fans of Dr.
Mercola. Narrowed down fats we cooked with to coconut oil and butter.
Olive oil in salads only (or other "raw" use). Ditched the instant
mashed potatoes for real mashed potatoes (my last "instant" food).
May: Ditched the microwave oven due to the nutrional deficiencies of
microwaved food. Stopped buying ready-made orange juice (real fruit
being better for you than juice; and I wanted to "spend" my "sweet
points" on something like honey, rather than juice)
June: Ordered a great (large) toaster oven as a replacement for the microwave. Read The Maker's Diet, by Jordan Rubin, for the first time. Switched to organic milk.
July: Received toaster oven. Started taking fish oil each day. Began
decreasing amount of canned food used. Bought grass-fed beef.
August: Discovered Nourishing Traditions, by Sally Fallon. Started using Rapadura for treats.
September: Still reading Nourishing Traditions. Using almost 100% organic produce.
October: Switched from fish oil to cod liver oil for the winter. Started making real beef and chicken broth.
November: Ordered Bosch Universal mixer. Started drinking
fresh-squeezed orange juice, about one small glass per week (for the
winter). Began soaking oatmeal overnight with whey before making
porridge in the morning for breakfast. There was one more big change in
November that won't be discussed in this blog. But it was a big deal.
December: Received Bosch. Started baking all our own bread. These two
events are very related. Began eating real sauerkraut and ginger
carrots (both lacto-fermented). Read The Real Story of Milk. Had our first Christmas with no refined sugar (here at home, anyway). I started drinking coffee again (BAD!)
I still refer to Nourishing Traditions
at least 3-4 times a week. In 2006 we hope to learn more about soaking
our grains before making our breads and other grains to make them more
healthful. I will have to start cutting back on the coffee again,
too. 
I like coffee too much. Plus, I dread the headaches when I stop
drinking it. Maybe if I wean myself with a little more decaf each day?
(I am double-posting this entry on my homeschool blog, Health Nut).
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About Me
I'm a midwestern gal, living my dream life on 7 acres in the country. I love Jesus, my husband, three children, Daisy the Wonder Goat, and our chickens. I'd still love to someday have a miniature jersey milk cow.
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