Re: New and baffled. Teach me, please?

[Guest guest]

Welcome Amy!

It sounds like you are on the right track--slow is the operative word when

switching your family to WAP/NT (Weston A. Price/Nourishing Traditions) way

of eating. Try to avoid saying things like " this is healthy milk " or, " I

made the mayo from scratch because it's better for you. " Just serve it and

see what happens. Because we cook with fat freely, most people actually

PREFER NT style foods. I think the best route is to " healthify " the foods

you already buy and/or make. You definitely need to get a copy of NT.

Hopefully, you like to cook!

The milk sounds pretty good--is it raw or pasteurized? Also, the best eggs

come from chickens that are allowed to roam on pasture (they eat more bugs

this way). Note that " free range " doesn't mean much anymore as this can

mean that they are kept in a barn with 2'x2' amount of space each (ie

they're not forced to sit in a cage all day). The yolks in high quality

eggs are bright orange--a huge difference from your run-of-the-mill grocery

store eggs.

In terms of meat, it is important to get grass-fed.

Many folks on this list have lost weight (see recent posts from Christie

who has lost about 100 lbs over the past year) but WAP/NT is not a

diet, per se, more a lifestyle--you'll need to modify it to suit your own

needs (weightloss, allergies, etc.)

HTH,

New and baffled. Teach me, please?

> I've been trying to change what we're doing to a more natural, whole

> foods approach, but find myself lost which direction to turn. We've

> found a local dairy that produce hormone/antibiotic free milk from

> grass fed cows... and they deliver! They also supply free range,

> vegetarian fed omega-3 eggs. (First time in my life I've not had

> allergic reactions to eggs! I'm excited!) I've been trying to

> research on the web, but there's such a staggering amount of

> information it's frightening. And I'm positive that I can't swap my

> family over to sprouted grain breads, fermented goat's milk and home

> ground grains overnight. Slow and steady changes we can do,

> overnight lifestyle overhaul... not so much.

[Guest guest]

> Welcome Amy!

> Hopefully, you like to cook!

>

> The milk sounds pretty good--is it raw or pasteurized? Also, the

best eggs

> come from chickens that are allowed to roam on pasture (they eat

more bugs

> this way). Note that " free range " doesn't mean much anymore as

this can

> mean that they are kept in a barn with 2'x2' amount of space each

(ie

> they're not forced to sit in a cage all day). The yolks in high

quality

> eggs are bright orange--a huge difference from your run-of-the-

mill grocery

> store eggs.

Here's a description I found of the eggs I have been buying. (Did I

mention I'm mostly clueless?

http://www.charitywire.com/charity9/00146.html The milk we've been

buying is pasteurized and homogenized. Is that bad too? And yes, I

adore cooking! I have for the longest time, but I'm scared of

making bad stuff or the wrong way or ... you get the point. There's

such a glut of info I feel like I'm drowning in it sometimes.

Although after reading the last day or so's digests, I think I have

a grasp of why this is the first time in my life I can tolerate the

eggies that I love so much. None of the excess crud making it into

the eggs.

[Guest guest]

>> Many folks on this list have lost weight (see recent posts from Christie

who has lost about 100 lbs over the past year) but WAP/NT is not a

diet, per se, more a lifestyle--you'll need to modify it to suit your own

needs (weightloss, allergies, etc.) <<

I agree with this completely. I was eating NT for more than a year prior to

adapting it to a low carb/Atkins version, and did not lose weight.

I did feel better and had some improvement in my health, but for me

modifying it to low carb was the ticket. For someone else it might be

something else - lots of folks on this list are combining it with the

Warrior Diet principles, for example, while others try to eat exclusively

raw foods. NT is a very, very flexible way of eating that covers and

accomodates all kinds of healthy traditional diets, ethnic traditions,

personal preferences, and individual needs.

Christie

[Guest guest]

>> Here's a description I found of the eggs I have been buying. (Did I

mention I'm mostly clueless?

http://www.charitywire.com/charity9/00146.html <<

I'm sure these are better than many other eggs you can buy, and I'd

recommend them over conventionally farmed eggs. BUT.... if you want the

" gold standard " of good eggs, what you want is good old fashioned

backyard/pastured eggs, from hens that roam around pecking the dirt and

eating bugs.

If you can't get those, or you can't get them year-round (which is the case

with me), then IMO the next best thing is certified organic " Omega 3 " or

" DHA " eggs. These are from hens that are raised cage free, fed certified

organic feed, and given flax seed in their diet to shift the fatty acid

profile of their eggs away from too much Omega 6 and towards more Omega 3.

This makes them more similar to pastured eggs (although not as good).

>> The milk we've been

buying is pasteurized and homogenized. Is that bad too? <<

Again, the gold standard would be fresh, raw milk, certified organic, from

cows raised exclusively on pasture (grass fed).

Failing that, organic milk is good, raw if you can get (not legal in all

states, sadly), non-homogenized at the least. I'll be honest, I'd rather

have non-certified organic pastured milk than organic grain-fed milk... er,

milk from gain fed cows. There, that sounds better. <G>

But your basic everyday pasteurized, homogenized milk from grain fed cows?

Even if it's organic, it's not very good.

Check out www.realmilk.com for general info and resources in your area. You

can also try www.eatwild.com

This is where I get my cream and milk in Northern CA:

www.organicpastures.com

Christie

[Guest guest]

See Christie's post on eggs--your chickens don't have access to the outside

(ie no bug eating). Have you looked at the Weston A. Price Foundation's Web

site yet? There are some great basic articles on nutrition there:

http://www.westonaprice.org/nutrition_guidelines/dietary_guidelines.html

http://www.westonaprice.org/nutrition_guidelines/dietary_dangers.html

http://www.westonaprice.org/nutrition_guidelines/whats_wrong.html

I know it seems overwhelming at first--reading NT will help A LOT and give

you some ideas for recipe modification.

In terms of your milk...the only thing going for it is that it's grassfed.

Can you get raw milk in your area? Even past. UNhomoginized milk (grassfed,

of course) would be better. If this is the only grassfed milk you can get,

you should culture it by adding kefir grains. Kefir (a cultured milk

product like yogurt) will improve the health index of your milk tenfold.

However, it tastes sour like yogurt and is an acquired taste. If you're

interested in kefir, I could send you some grains--but only if you promise

to use them (they're my babies).

HTH,

----- Original Message -----

From: " ladyserenia1 " <j.p.recktenwald@...>

< >

> Here's a description I found of the eggs I have been buying. (Did I

> mention I'm mostly clueless?

> http://www.charitywire.com/charity9/00146.html The milk we've been

> buying is pasteurized and homogenized. Is that bad too? And yes, I

> adore cooking! I have for the longest time, but I'm scared of

> making bad stuff or the wrong way or ... you get the point. There's

> such a glut of info I feel like I'm drowning in it sometimes.

> Although after reading the last day or so's digests, I think I have

> a grasp of why this is the first time in my life I can tolerate the

> eggies that I love so much. None of the excess crud making it into

> the eggs.

[Guest guest]

> The milk we've been

> buying is pasteurized and homogenized. Is that bad too?

Raw and nonhomogenized is better, but if the best you can do is

grass-fed and organic, then go for it. It's still better than store

milk. I'm lucky to have organic nonhomogenized grassfed milk, even

though it's pasteurized. (And my guy delivers too, thank heavens. If

ONLY he carried eggs...)

> And yes, I

> adore cooking! I have for the longest time, but I'm scared of

> making bad stuff or the wrong way or ... you get the point.

Lose the fear. Just believe that the only direction you can go is up

and start from where you are.

Best,

Lynn S.

------

Lynn Siprelle * web developer, writer, mama, fiber junky

http://www.siprelle.com/

http://www.thenewhomemaker.com/

http://www.democracyfororegon.com/

[Guest guest]

Hi Amy,

I'm so glad that you found this group! I think you'll find the

answers you're looking for soon with the help of the great members

here.

A really helpful guide to how to make a transition to a healthier way

of eating can be found at

http://www.westonaprice.org/transition/transition.html

Make changes slowly, maybe one at a time. That's how I did it. Doing

too much at once is overwhelming for many people. Switching to

whole grains alone is a big step!

Best of life and health to you :-)

[Guest guest]

I went and bought NT last night from and Noble. I think I'm

going to have to buy a second copy for a friend at church who is

also trying to eat as much whole foods as possible. And you can

really tell in her daughter who's now a year old and the brightest,

healthiest, happiest bundle of energy I've seen in a baby in a LONG

time. Her newborn is too, just with a quieter personality.

I'm starting to look at the local resources for the time being,

considering our house is on the market and we'll likely be taking a

pastorate in the next couple of months with a parsonage, so I have

no idea where we're going to end up just yet. But I was up until

midnight devouring the book until I finally had to put it down and

get some sleep. It was fascinating!

And I'm working on giving up one thing at a time. I tried coffee

cold turkey once and got debilitating headaches that lasted all day

and didn't end with a good solid nap. So I'm tapering off my use of

it. After that, the few sugary things in the house are next. My

biggest problem is that I'm a chocoholic. I'm slowly... working the

family over to the " darkside " of eating. And I looked over all

those resources, they were fantastic! There's still oodles to see

and put into practice, it's exciting!

--- In , " Marie P " <pollard@v...>

wrote:

> I'd like to add to this...what I like best about the NT book, are

the sections on NT on a budget and Mastering the basics....It wasn't

way over my head...

> Marie

>

> I know it seems overwhelming at first--reading NT will help A

LOT and give

> you some ideas for recipe modification.

>

>

[Guest guest]

I promise to use if you're really willing. I'm honestly open to

trying anything, unlike my picky eater family. But I'm the queen of

sneaking stuff in on la famille. Like pureeing vegetables and

hiding them in the spaghetti sauce. (In fact, if you like I can

send you some candles in exchange. I handpour them as a hobby.)

I did try kefir once, I think a peach flavored one, and wasn't

overly fond of it, but I assume it could have just been the brand.

That and to be honest, anymore, I'm dubious of eating anything that

someone else makes that I don't make myself. I've been asking for

years for a juicer and a yogurt maker for Christmas when my in-laws

asked me... to be met with strange looks. I finally got my juicer

this year. I guess they realized I was serious.

> If this is the only grassfed milk you can get,

> you should culture it by adding kefir grains. Kefir (a cultured

milk

> product like yogurt) will improve the health index of your milk

tenfold.

> However, it tastes sour like yogurt and is an acquired taste. If

you're

> interested in kefir, I could send you some grains--but only if you

promise

> to use them (they're my babies).

>

> HTH,

>

>

[Guest guest]

HI there.

I'm not a pro by any means..but what worked for me (still working on my family)

was to give up one thing at a time...(I'm currently working on that 2nd thing

which is sugar) but the first thing I gave up was wheat bread, cold turkey on

3/31/04..*S*

Best of luck, this list is a fantastic resource...as is the NT book....also

check out the archives and files at the group page.

Maire

New and baffled. Teach me, please?

Hi! I'm new, and my name's Amy. Short background on me... when I

was a kid a " healthy " (according to mom) breakfast was Frosted

Flakes, juice, Pop Tart/Donut, and at least half a pound of sausage,

bacon or 3 eggs. Lunch (again " healthy " ) was sandwiches, kool aid,

and potato chips, because of course potato chips are made from

potatoes and you have to eat your veggies at lunch! Dinner was a

huge slab of random meat and usually either mac n cheese (Kraft box

style) or mashed potatoes. Some nights, it was Hamburger/Tuna

Helper. Mom was incessantly on some diet or another, but that was

what we got anyway. From as far back as I can remember, I was

told " Don't eat that or you'll end up just like your mother. " (This

from her parents who ate the same stuff as me.)

[Guest guest]

I'd like to add to this...what I like best about the NT book, are the sections

on NT on a budget and Mastering the basics....It wasn't way over my head...

Marie

I know it seems overwhelming at first--reading NT will help A LOT and give

you some ideas for recipe modification.

[Guest guest]

....I was up until midnight devouring the book until I finally had to put it down

and

get some sleep...

You're not supposed to eat the book, silly!!! (just kidding, grin).

....My biggest problem is that I'm a chocoholic...

Cocoa is supposed to be very good for you. Rather than giving up chocolate

altogether, you could switch to dark, low-sugar chocolate to get max. cocoa and

min. sugar. Since I've weened myself off most sugars, I also drink hot cocoa

without sugar.

Cheers,

Tas'.

[Guest guest]

....I've been asking for years for a juicer and a yogurt maker for Christmas when

my in-laws

asked me... to be met with strange looks. I finally got my juicer

this year. I guess they realized I was serious...

For the yoghurt, you can just use a thermos (insulated flask). Warm the flask by

having hot water in it while you warm the milk to body temperature - I don't

even use a thermometer. Then mix a couple of tablespoons of plain yoghurt with

the warm milk and pour it into the (empty) thermos, seal tightly and leave

overnight. If it's not thick enough when you open it, you can leave it another

hour or two and warm the milk a tiny bit more next time. If it's 'overcooked'

and separated, you can strain it through a cloth to use it as cream cheese and

make it a bit cooler next time or not leave it as long. It doesn't take many

tries to get it just right.

Cheers,

Tas'.

[Guest guest]

Wheeee! I'll have to do that... will have to unpack the thermos,

but woohoo!!

As a side note, house selling is NOT good for healthy eating.

(sighs) I'm surprised my stress level alone hasn't killed me.

> ...I've been asking for years for a juicer and a yogurt maker for

Christmas when my in-laws

> asked me... to be met with strange looks. I finally got my juicer

> this year. I guess they realized I was serious...

>

> For the yoghurt, you can just use a thermos (insulated flask).

Warm the flask by having hot water in it while you warm the milk to

body temperature - I don't even use a thermometer. Then mix a couple

of tablespoons of plain yoghurt with the warm milk and pour it into

the (empty) thermos, seal tightly and leave overnight. If it's not

thick enough when you open it, you can leave it another hour or two

and warm the milk a tiny bit more next time. If it's 'overcooked'

and separated, you can strain it through a cloth to use it as cream

cheese and make it a bit cooler next time or not leave it as long.

It doesn't take many tries to get it just right.

>

> Cheers,

> Tas'.

>

>

[Guest guest]

>>>As a side note, house selling is NOT good for healthy eating.

(sighs) I'm surprised my stress level alone hasn't killed me.<<<

Tell me about it!!! I'm in the same boat.

Cheers,

Tas'.

[Guest guest]

hey! we'll be in that boat very soon. our first open house will

probably be a week from Sunday.

On Fri, 18 Jun 2004 21:42:48 +1000 " "

<sand8013@...> writes:

>>>As a side note, house selling is NOT good for healthy eating.

(sighs) I'm surprised my stress level alone hasn't killed me.<<<

Tell me about it!!! I'm in the same boat.

Cheers,

Tas'.