Overload and goodbye!

Time for a break. I am done discovering for a while.

Since I cannot bring myself to implement the change I would like to, I'd better step back and let life go its own path.

I am overly frustrated by having accumulated so much information on the effects of wheat, sugar, and fats on the human body, and not finding the magic formula of how to live a normal life without these substances. I myself am not consuming them, but its beating the hell out of me seeing my kids being served margarine at day care every day...(sugar and wheat too, but I can almost, almost live with those)

Didn't help much surfing the page of Doctor Cate yesterday, watching the clip on how the body reacts to gluten and it creates all sorts of problem for the body (allergic reactions, lower immune defense, psychological issues etc). And then reading that this is basically what happens to any body, reacting to any substance it cannot handle (including the casein in milk...).

If you want to know check this out: What is Celiac Desease - A recipe beyond gluten-free.

If we are not ready to move out to the countryside, isolate ourselves from the rest of the social environment, go completely hippie, then maybe its time for me to give up. Because I am not ready to do that and I do not think the rest of the family is either.
I have not found a (non-virtual) medical doctor that supports these  theories and frankly I am getting tired of relying on faraways blogs, and blog comments to acert my conviction of healthy living.  What's the use when I cannot make use of the stuff I learn?

I am tired of being considered weird and tiresome in my interaction with others. I am tired of friends feeling its a problem to invite my family over because they do not know what to serve us (once again for those of my friends who read this: that is not your problem, its mine, and what you serve this family is prefectly fine with me since as I said above: I have not found the magic formula...). I am freaky tired of the whole non-fat vs. non-fat , additive-fresh food debate.

So I am taking a break (how do you do that when you still have to eat everyday?). I'm going to focus on something else... like going out running, or skiing, or watching nonsense realities on telly. Dunno what but Sweetd dreams will not be around for a while.

So long, auf wiedersehen, goodbye!

IS SUGAR REALLY THAT BAD?

I came across an excellent article on what sugar does to our bodies and I really feel like sharing some of what the article is about (in italic). As you might have noticed yesterday, I was about to loose it there for a second, but by googling some information on the dangers of sugar  I am right back on track.

You can always count on Jimmy Moore's Living la vida Low-Carb show - he has had lengthy interviews with both Nancy Appleton and David Gillespie - excellent pieces.

Well, this article that I found is a summary, written by nutritionist Jen Allbritton, and can be found on the Weston Price Foundation web-pages (another excellent source of very balanced information).

So here are the extracts from the Allbritton's article (my comments in red).


A comment I often hear is, “A little won’t hurt!” Sure, a little sugar is a minor challenge for healthy individuals. Unfortunately, dysfunctional blood sugar balance, immune issues, and adrenal fatigue are common, and even a small amount of sugar can send someone with these disturbances into sugar shock. Moreover, most of us already get a little here, a little there, and then a little more over here, and bam! That sugar really adds up. What do I mean by “a lot”? Our ancestors likely indulged in around one tablespoon (60 calories) of honey per day (when available), which is stunningly low compared to today’s average sugar intake of one cup (774 calories) per day!¹ YOWZERS!

This is something I even fool myself with from times to times...or in order to have a social life outside the home,  it is more than necessary to follow this "little won't hurt" instinct. However, the more I read up on the issue, the stronger I feel that yes, a little can hurt, and it can hurt a lot. Question is, how to do with just a little as per our own definitions without upsetting all the dear ones around us?!? PArticularly our own kids, they crave sugar just like any kid would do....


About twenty years ago, Nancy Appleton, PhD, began an eye-opening, research-supported list of the ways sugar can ruin your health... Here is a small, yet powerful sampling of reasons to avoid sugar:
• Sugar feeds cancer cells and has been connected with the development of cancer of the breast, ovaries, prostate, rectum, pancreas, lung, gallbladder and stomach.^2-6
• Sugar can increase fasting levels of glucose and can cause reactive hypoglycemia.⁷
• Sugar can cause many problems with the gastrointestinal tract, including an acidic digestive tract, indigestion, malabsorption in patients with functional bowel disease, increased risk of Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.^8-12
• Sugar can interfere with your absorption of protein.¹³
• Sugar can cause food allergies.¹⁴
• Sugar contributes to obesity.¹⁵

 Got the picture already? Sugar is not sweet at all - it is dangerous! And sadly enough, it is everywhere you turn these days.

As a mother, I regard sugar’s impact on my children as a top priority; for the kiddos themselves of course, but also for more selfish reasons—my sanity. The more well-mannered and happy my children are, the more smooth is the daily flow. Sugar’s impact on children is more dramatic than it is on adults due to their smaller size and still-developing systems. The connection between sugar consumption and rowdy behavior and weakened immunity is strong.

Yes, I know. I have noticed this myself. Why is it so hard to have others buy into this? Sugar addicted zombies, denial, authorities/media reluctance to admit sugar is a major problem?'


I frequently hear testimonials from other moms who see improvements in their children’s behavior after reducing sugar in their family’s diet. Envision the impact the reduction of sugar consumption could have on an entire school! One such success story is set in a Georgia elementary school, where the principal, Dr. Yvonne Sanders-Butler, recognized the need for dietary changes with her students suffering many modern illnesses— obesity, diabetes and hypertension. In 2005, Browns Mill School became the first sugar-free school in the country, and the results speak for themselves with a 30 percent decrease in nurse visits, a 28 percent drop in teacher referrals for bad behavior, and improved test scores.²⁰ Dr. Sanders-Butler continues to see the difference in the children’s health through weight loss and fewer absences, as well as more frequent everyday positive interactions with happier children.

Where was this place again? We're moving!

At Browns Mill, every parent and child is asked to sign an “Achieving Academic Excellence through Nutrition” commitment contract, outlining the parameters and expectations of the program. Sugary foods are prohibited (even for birthdays) and confiscated if brought to school. School lunch menus were revamped and exercise, breakfast, and good sleep are expected. It goes to show, bold action can lead to sweet rewards!


Oh yes, even birthdays. Definatelly moving!

Then about the chemical balances in the body and the detrimental effect sugar has on this balance:


Minerals work synergistically with one another and have a vast number of functions within the body, including maintaining pH balance, aiding in digestion, and transmitting nerve impulses. Suffice it to say that the consequences of mineral imbalance can lead to many problems, including anxiety, asthma, tooth decay, brittle bones, and poor sleep quality. Here is the kicker: if one mineral is out of balance, so go the others. This is particularly true of calcium, magnesium, and phosphorous.

This is where it becomes INTERESTING!!!


Years ago the dentist Melvin E. Page uncovered the significance of calcium’s ratio to phosphorous in regards to bone absorption and tooth decay. Sugar was found to be the driving force behind calcium-phosphorous imbalance; the elimination of this refined food allowed the ratio to recover and glucose levels in the blood to normalize. It was then that factors leading to bone loss and tooth decay (along with a number of other symptoms) vanished.

Hahaha!!! I knew it, its not about consuming half a liter of milk every day!!! It's about eating a balanced diet, free from sugar!!! :-))))))

Sugar taken every day produces a continuously over-acid condition, and more and more minerals are required from deep in the body in the attempt to rectify the imbalance. Finally, in order to protect the blood, so much calcium is taken from the bones and teeth that decay and general weakening begin.


Then the article goes in to the connection with infections.

White blood cells, called neutrophils, are a primary player in the immune system, fending off infection from foreign bacteria and viruses, anything from colds and strep throat to ear and sinus infections. Research shows these “germdestroyers” become much less effective at their job when sugar is consumed (table sugar, fructose and even orange juice), and this immune malfunction can last up to six hours after consumption....Whatever the mechanics, removing excess sugar is a must if you want to reduce the number of illnesses your family suffers.

Yep, yep - isn't this something of interest in this family after having the kids sick at home for the ten past days (by the way, could it be so that this time I did NOT fall ill because of the lack of sugar in my body? Just a hypothesis, I might fall ill tomorrow).

And then we come to the addictive aspects of the substance...


Although socially acceptable, sugar addiction is real.

Can I underline this enough?!?!


As with any addictive substance, more and more sugar is consumed over time, withdrawal symptoms are experienced when it is removed (headaches, low energy, mood swings), and finally strong cravings often lead to relapse. Regardless of the fact that it has been referred to as the “white plague” and rivals cocaine in its addictive strength,sugar remains a socially sanctioned commodity to sell, eat, or use to celebrate and lavish on children.

Yes, cocaine my dear friends. Cocaine. And we voluntarily feed this stuff to our kids. What kind of parents are we?!?! Maybe we should reconsider that it is first joint being the gate into a destructive lifetime addiction... (and yes, I know I sound freaky now, but continue reading please...).

Sugar’s addictive power is three-fold.

First, we have a natural affinity to sugar. It tastes yummy and gives our body fuel. While stumbling upon a beehive or bush of ripe wild berries was quite useful to our foraging ancestors in their endeavors to obtain enough calories, our situation is quite different today. In our developed world of easy access, this added fuel has become overavailable, over-processed and over-consumed, all of which lead to trouble with a capital T.

Second, sugar has the ability to increase pleasure-yielding opioids in the brain, similar to morphine and heroin, making one’s sugar cravings often too strong to ignore. Julia Ross tells us in The Diet Cure, “For some of us, certain foods, particularly ones that are sweet and starchy, can have a drug-like effect, altering our brains’ mood chemistry and fooling us into a false calm, or a temporary energy surge. We can eventually become dependent on these drug-like foods for continued mood lifts.

Third, sugar begets more sugar. Eating sugar clearly throws one’s body chemistry into a tailspin. Tag on poor sleep habits, adrenal fatigue, and an overload of distress, intense cravings for sugar (or other substance like alcohol or drugs) can easily develop. Insulin imbalances and a lack of the happy-brain chemical called serotonin are often the underlying culprits. Essentially, the sugar being consumed perpetuates the vicious cycle of more intense sugar cravings.


The article is longer. But I think I stated the basics here already. For those that are interested in the scientific proof of the claims, please turn to the origininal. I have no intentions to start referring scientifically on this blog....

But my final message is: People be aware!!! Get a hold of your own sweet tooth and turn then to see how you can cure the sweet tooth of your children. You will be thanking yourself in retrospect. Promise!

Nancy Appleton - Genius!

Don't upset your homestasis (chemistry balances in your body)!

This is an excellent video. If you have the time, you should give it a look. It is as balanced as it can get - reffering to tons of scientific articles - and I think when the information she presents here is digested, it explains both A, B, and C. For example, why drinking milk doesn't guarantee healthy bones (maybe the opposite). Or, how allergies can be directly linked to the consumption of sugar (in all forms my friends, including honey and agave - basically, if its sweet, is bad for you - sweet dreams, so long, auf wiedersehen, good bye!). It also explains why our body is suseptible to infections by consumption of sugars.

So this video of 45 minutes makes it shining clear that nobody, absolutely nobody, should be digesting sugar as we do today, not even small amounts are safe (on a daily basis). And this goes particularly for growing children.

I get so upset when I see these very informative seminars. Because once again they confirm to me exactly how bad the mainstream diet is for our body.  I would say the majority of people today eat as a minimum moderate amounts of sugar (not even small, but moderate) every day. Many way too much. And as a mother I feel so HELPLESS! Both my kids would benefit for a sugarfree diet. But how? I can give them breakfast at home, they'll have to do with the lunch at daycare... and I cannot pick them up before afternoon snack (usually including some sort of sugar). Thus lunch + afternoon snack with potential sugars, that screws up their bodily chemistry for the rest of the day - no matter how well I try to feed them for dinner or evening snack, their body won't yet be in balance and that will affect how to food is digested and used in their bodies.

Yesterday we saw the movie "The last Excorcist" with hubby (do not recommend). The dad had taken out his daughter from school for homeschooling, because he felt the school wasn't teaching the right stuff... well guess who felt hit by that message.. me considering daycare is not feeding the right stuff. My goodness, this parenting thing is way heavier than I ever imagined! Once again, after a couple of days on main street I am off to freak street again.

Thank you Nancy Appleton for bringing these insights, although they cause anxiety, I wouldn't like to be without them either.

Woho!!! New heroe discovered! - this time Down Under.

Go David Gillespie!

Australia on board as well! Congrats!

Excellent note on how we should not be feeding (hidden) sugars to our kids.

And these are his books:

And here some of his (unsurprising) observations:

Sugar was once such a rare resource that nature decided we didn’t need an off-switch – in other words, we can keep eating sugar without feeling full.

• In the space of 150 years, we have gone from eating no added sugar to more than a kilogram a week.
• You would need to run 7km every day of your life just to not put on weight as a result of eating thatmuch sugar.
• Two decades ago 1 in 14 adult Australians were obese; that figure is now 1 in 5.
• The ‘natural’ sugar in one glass of unsweetened fruit juice per day for a year is enough to add just over 2.5kg your waistline.
• The more sugar we eat, the more we want. Food manufacturers exploit our sugar addiction by lacing it through ‘non-sweet’ products, such as bread, sauces, soups and cereals.

I'm loosing it...

Here is my confession: kids had premade liver casserole, bought from the store.

Yesterday we went out to eat dinner, and the kids had meatballs, with mashed potatoes. While enjoying their dinner I realized the meatballs probably contained milk products, as did the mashed potatoes... Five minutes later Kidtwo's stomach confirmed my suspicion.

At least they had a juice icecream for dessert.

Today we ate out again, no dairy this time... but still, eating out with all the nagging included (ended up buying chocolate truffels for dessert on the way home). 

On top of all this, Kidtwo had me giving him yogurt this morning (he saw me eating it).

Result of all these small "give aways" in such a short period of time: kids learning that mommy is loosing touch with her hardcore principles, and that nagging brings victory.

...And an upset stomach of Kidtwo. So far I have decided not to pay too much attention to it yet, until a doctor confirms it, I feel I cannot be restricting the diet too much. And we had to postpone the visit at the allergy hospital this week due to illness.

For myself I feel the effect of not so strict and good eating in my body. Need to do something about it before my chocolate (>70%) addiction gets uncontrollable. Well, in my defence I say: I am only human!!! My goodness how tough these past three weeks have been! I do not understand how those who have strict diet can stick to it (see the blog Liberated Kitchen for example). What's the secret? I for sure haven't discovered it yet.

Trying to rediscover the inspiration to keep to my principles. Just wish it wouldn't be so hard...

And in the meantime, my Kefir grains are eating us out of the house. The first batch is ready, second on its way and I also separated some of the grains from the milk and placed them in coconut milk. Let's see... lt's see. The way these are growing, I'll have a small distribution center set up here in our house in less than a week!

There is so much to write about!

I would really like to write thoughtful posts with references to other blogs or articles that I have read lately, but there is just so little time! I'll try my best to summarize here:

I got my Kefir grains today. Once I get them into a healthy and safe place (read: raw milk) and get them eating, I'll tell you more about them. Funny enough, my biggest heroe, Michael Pollan, seems to be writing about fermented foods right now (read the article on the topic here). Kefir grains do that to food: ferments it. However, not beer...

The other thing I'd like to explore more indepth is the issue of how to avoid flues, ear infections and above all antibiotics. I hinted yesterday something about onions. There are no clear results from the experiment we tried yesterday with the kids. It depends who you ask. Ask hubby and he'll tell you that I just managed to create an awful onion smell in the kids room, which didn't go away with opening the window for a while... Ask me and I'd tell you it was rather successful. Kids coughed but not so much, both woke up with no fever and I also thought Kidtwo had less nose congestion. But that's my perception, I might be seeing things that are not there. Didn't managed to get the onion tucked to their heads, only in a bowl under the bed. Maybe it would have been more effective in a small cloth bag attached ourside their ears. Well, this is getting freaky. Better stop here... But if you want to read more on the benefits of onion here is something I googled down: Onion remedies. (note: have not had time to cross-check the page, but looks promising)
Then the other thing I'd like to do is to translate some of  Anna Hallen's texts into English. She writes such wonderful posts on her blog and on Facebook that I really think it is a pity its only available to the Swedish speaking audience. She is outspoken Low Carb High Fat - although I think the LCHF letters do her no good. She is restricting her audience by using these letters. She might have started her food journey on LCHF but since she's talking about children's diet (LCHF och barn), another label, or even no label at all, only talking about giving kids REAL FOOD, would make her message so much more potent. Stating of course that real food excludes grains and other carbohydrate dense foods that we did not use to consume some 100 years ago up here in the North (read: rise, for example). I have been saving myself from the temptation of buying her newest book... But I think there is no way for me around this problem, its about low carb and children.... I need to have it, and I need it sooner than later. My anticonsumption standards must give away on this one... However, being convinced that we have a milk allergic toddler in the house adds to my hesitation of the urge to buy...Anyaway, if I find more time in the near future, I might get some of her ideas translated for you...and you'll see were I get my inspiration from!

And then the ting about rise. Brown rise and arsenic: Arsenic in organic brown rice syrup and rice-how to eat rice safely. Disturbing news. Good thing we just ate the last batch of our raw rise. If we are to continue eating such exotic food as rise (I personally think that if this family is to eat filler-carbs, then the best ones available on our altitudes would be organically and locally grown potatoes...) then maybe just plain and normal white rise would do the trick. Basmati for example. I could get a batch of 10k from the Asian market stores down in Hakaniemi. Do it like the Asians, store the rise in a closed bucket in the garage (idea I got from a friend in the neighbourhood). Why all this fancy (arsenic) food when there are other smarter available options out there.

Today I saw the movie "Economics of Happiness". Here is the trailer. Loved it. It combines everything and most of all what it does, is that it shows that sustainability starts from local food systems. It got me even more convinced that I need to stay away from that big hypermarket and keep on buying food in non-chain stores and in those few places in our neighborhood that still are struggling against the big hypermarket. Maybe I should pay the local bookstore a visit tomorrow. Oh forgot, I am in a anti-book-buying mode. But maybe for the sake of local livelihood... Too bad she doesn't carry any Swedish books, otherwise I would have bought Anna Hallen's book from her. Tradeoffs, tradeoffs.

Muffin time!

Waking up

Yesterday I worked so hard with my brain that all of my body was aching byt 7 p.m., and I thought I was about to get the same flu that the kids are having.

In the morning I had eaten buckthorn berry powder mixed with coconut flour and had mixed a warm cup of water, honey, ginger, garlic and organic lemon. This strangely enough cleared both my brain and my body for the day. But as said, by 7 p.m. I was falling back down. Then I ate a couple of choco-balls, filled with vitamin C as I had rolled them in the same buckthorn berry powder and also added other super food to the dough (maca powder, roseship powder). Strangely enough at 8 p.m. my head was clear again and I could finish my job by 9:30.

This morning I woke up exhausted, like I would have run 10k at least yesterday. It's strange how much energy full brain concentration requires. It's also strange that the flu that I so strongly felt yesterday has not made its entrance yet, although I did relax after finishing the job yesterday evening. Will I still become sick? Or was the vitamine c, garlic, honey, ginger medicine enough to kill the bugs?

Kids are also in better shape but Kidtwo has a runny nose and Kidone has been coughing through the nights for almost a week now. I do not want antiobiotics this time for them. Seriously considering the onion-trick. Just wonder, how will I convince them to roll a bandage with onions around their head... hmm...

The art of staying alive

I am not really active right now. Just reading through the most essential blogs and then off to my duties. Both kids are sick, hubby still in bed due to his knee surgery and myself barely alive from the stress and a tight deadline coming up this week. Working night shifts on all fronts here - it's crazy.

Lucky me I got my mom over here over the weekend. ´She cooked and made our kitchen look deseant again. I even had her make fish bone broth! She claimed she had never done it and that it was so useless..better buy ready made... but once our salmon fish shoup was ready, she admitted that the bone broth made it tastier than ever before. So no the freezer is filled with broth from beef, chicken and fish. In  addition, we filled it with meetballs, thai chicken and some other goodies. Things are set. Almost. It is still h*lluvajob to keep the family (and myself) alive!

Today's menu

Watermelon. Only thing that worked on a kid with the flu. Second day on food strike.

Thank you, thank you globalization and industrially farmed Brazilian watermelon, love ya!

Food Rules by Michael Pollan

Nowadays when I go to the grocery store I just feel how crazy it all is. First we were convinced that industrial processed food, industrial farming including all those pesticides was the most efficient way to produce food. Many traditional farmers were forced to industrialized... just so that now, when there is almost no traditional farming left, we pay dearly either with our health or our money to get the food we "deserve".

It's just so absurd. The whole food business is just absurd. What we should do now is save the little that is left of traditional farming in the developing world. But no, what do we do... we go to teach them to eradicate poverty by industrialization... yeah right. Tonight there is a program on tv about the liquid waste from Indian pharmaceutical plants contaminating whole rivers in India. The produced medicins go to European consumers (maybe to cure a desease caused by industrial foods...) and the waste is left to the Indians to deal with (read: get seriously sick). Its just crazy the whole system, isn't it?

Sleepless and on "C-o-C"

Last night I have been working as a water shuttle for Kidone. She suddenly got a caugh that seems to be rather painful and a fever to go with the pain. Today, I have eyes that do not want to obey my impulses and a mind not apt for thinking. Not so good considering my deadlines. However, with small children this can always happen and when it does, it is the best moment to take a break and focus on the essentials. That is why the concept of "care of child" (VAB- vård av barn = employer must let parent stay on sick-leave with sick children under 10 years of age) is the best invention in the world. It doesn't only let you care for your child, it also forces you to care for yourself.

So I am now forcing myself to take a break and make a cake for my patient that seems to have gone on a food strike. Unfortunatelly, she was supposed to go to one of her best friends birthday party tonight, so to cure her grief I've promised to make a cake. Just wonder how to do that with this mushy brain of mine.

Kefir

Found myself a Kefir dealer. Will get my creatures next Thursday. Excited.

The Ministry of Healing the Land

Overweight children

This morning there was a very interesting topic on the radio show in which also we participated back in September last year (Patiperros on air). This time the program was about children with a a tendency to become obese, and what parents can do about this. I once again cheer this fabulous program for giving the listeners a down-to-earth and informative session about obesity, children's diet, family reality and expert knowledge on the subject. This is my favourite radio show, it's just great! Still, I think the program completely missed out on a couple of very essential issues.

First of all, I did not hear anyone say explicitly that sugar (and some other substances that children eat) are addictive. Yes they did talk about candy bags being bigger, and children consuming much more sugar today than before. But nobody mentioned that we are talking about toxic substances which lead to overeating and cravings for more, and which cannot be changed simply by "having a calm situation at the dinner table" (although this might help). In a way I can understand that this very essential piece of information was left out, afterall, not everyone agrees on this subject. Particularly here in the Nordic countries, I believe the mainstrem medical approach has been that sugar is not addictive. Still, many report personal experience of addiction (White desire), and now there is even scientific indications that this is the case (Toxic Sugar). Not to mention the effect also wheat (substance that is present in almost all meals) can have on humans and tendency of overeating (It is more than gluten).

My point is that if we could talk openly about what the problem of the sugar-filled food products directed to children (not talking about only candies and soda here) then maybe these overweight children wouldn't be so stigmatized. It is not their fault that they start endulging in sweets and unhealthy food! Its like talking about alcoholism and how to deal with it, without mentioning that alcohol is addictive. Obesity is only a symptom. And most of the time (not always) it is the symptom of a bit of a too sweet tooth, a tooth that has been fed with sugary substances from a very early age. Not all children become addicted (as not all adults either) but for those who do, sugarfilled yougurts or sweetened white bread, or even the jam on the oatmeal porridge can be the starting point of an uncontrollable craving for more.  We can empower our children by creating awareness of the link between the wrong kind of food and of the cravings for food that cause obesity.

When we participated in this radio show I was very nervous that our choices would be considered too radical by the listeners. I was nervous that the listeners would feel pity for my children. Imagine a childhood without candies! Almost unimaginable in today's society. The reporter even asked whether I was concerned that this choice of cutting out refined sugar would lead to rebelling children or eating disorders in their teenage years (I think this was not included in the show). My spontaneous answer was "no, absolutely not, I was more worried about that before than now". That is because I had seen how sugary foods drove Kidone to only crave for such foods, totally neglecting real nutrious foods and then screaming for sweets when hungry. This didn't happen as much with our new food policy. Also, considering my own newly found sensation of being in control of my mind and body, I knew that eating the right foods automatically excludes cravings and creates a balanced body weight. I had a hard time understanding how this way of living would expose my children to higher risk of eating disorders.

The second point I totally missed in this otherwise very balanced discussion was the role of fat in a child's diet. I strongly believe that there is a link between how much real fat (not talking about fake fats such as margarines) children consume and the sense of hunger. Extremely hungry kids will crave quick carbs to satisfy the hunger. School lunches are not exactly overly abundant in fats. There are more carbs on the plate than proteins and fats together. No wonder children grab an icecream or a soda on the way home... it is my personal experience that fatfree lunches (and maybe also the carb-filled breakfasts) do that to the metabolism.  But I understand that this is a controversial issue, with the state dietary recommendations being what they are. Still, I insist, to understand childhood obesity you need to understand the whole picture.

Talking about school lunches. I was delighted this morning to see a letter-to-the-editor in the Swedish newspaper ("Kosten har betydelse för skolelever ") talking about the link between quality school lunches and performance. The author referred to several studies in the U.S that clearly showed a link between high quality food and increased school performance. Also teachers reporting on more focused kids. Finally! I hope this sparks some debate over here. How wonderful it would be if somebody with authority could get it already. Margarine does not feed growing brains; real fat does!!! Bring back the whole milk, and butter to school and daycare! In the best case it could give us leaner, healthier and above all smarter kids! What's there to loose?

Made it through the week

This week has been insane! Maybe not so productive workwise but right now I am just hanging in there... hubby had a knee surgery last Monday, I have been working in three shifts to get everything to go around. But happy to say that all food has still kept up to my standards, no premade junk, all made at home. And this is not an attempt to brag, infact yesterday I was about to post something very nasty here as I was totally beat. But then I was actually too tired to think my thoughts true. Its no easy task to stay allive over here, in -15 degrees. But as said hanging in there, confident things will go better.

Bone broth (and meat) hase been staple in this weeks dinners. Breakfast has been eggs with coconut milk and spinach/cinnamon and sesame seeds. Trying to fill the gap of calcium deficiencies as milk was eliminated both at home and daycare for kidtwo (amazing results!).

Looking into how to ferment our own yogurt. Since its clear to me that milk is a no-no now, I need to find supplements. Fermented yogurt (self-made) seems to be a viable option. But where do I buy the beginner's batch? Or should I try to get some kefir grains. Got to work dectective to find out!

Busy day - bone broth and Latin flavors!

Got home from Sweden just in time to prepare some lunch. Luckily we had some home made liver casserole (yet another of these reinventions with many good vitamines) in the fridge, and lunch was served within 20 minutes. But this was just a parenthesis. What really kept me busy on this election day was: bone broth.
On Friday we got a 10kg deliver of fresh organic, grassfed beef, straight from the farm, homedelivered. I had also ordered extra bones, and so I got some 1,5 kg extra of bone accompanied by meat.

I cooked two batches of bone broth right after lunch. Calculate some 3 liters of broth. This will take us through the winter.

And lucky us, there is -20 degrees outside. I used this opportunity to freeze the broth in the open air (and I thank my addiction to Greek yougurt for having somewhere to freeze it all).

Check out the snow... I was wishing for a snow free winter this year... HAHA, somebody is laughing in my face right now!

Once the broth was over and done with, I suddenly faced the problem of what to do with the meat... surfing some paleo pages I got the idea of making chili con carne. And lucky me (considering the -20 degrees) we had all the ingridients at home. I am not going to write down the recipe tonight, too beat for that... But the big secret to my own dish was that added the already cooked meat to the blender, together with the onions and carrot left overs from the broth cooking. I had precooked white beans in the freezer and heated these in bonebroth, then took out half of them and used the hand blender to mash before adding them back into the pot.

I also made som guacamole, as I had to make use of one avocado and two tomatoes before they went bad.

Hubby and I added some "Merquen" to the dish - but we spared the kids from that VERY hot experience. (Read about Chilean merquen here: "Tu Chile aqui" )

We ate at the "round table" tonight. Special day, election day and all...

This was an excellent draw, hubby was happy to get some flavours from home and Kidone showed once again that she has inherited her dads tastebuds. I was more than surprised to see how she swept down her plate of chiliconcarne. Kidtwo did not go for this bean filled dish. He tried to insist on meatballs, yes kids ate Swedish meatballs while we were in Sweden over the weekend, and then he just got up and left the table....But I do not worry, he'll come around, someday.

There will be blood...

Fair warning: This might be appauling for some, especially vegetarians...

I promised you some time ago that I would do a blogpost on blood! I have come to realize that if we are to eat meet, then better utilize as much as possible from the poor slaughtered animal.

When I was little we used to frequently eat blood pancakes in school. Sometimes at home as well. These were one of the dishes that I never remember having eating made from scratch. The pancakes came in a box of 20 and before the microwave entered our household (long story, my brother and I tried all tricks there were to it to upgrade our parents from the stoneage, until we finally bought a microwave oven for my mom as a Christmas present...) we heated the black pancakes in a frying pan, with a lot of butter (must have been before the margarine days). Anyway, it is time to reinvent this dish!

I am also hearing from friends in Sweden that their children just love blood pudding... Better try it out...
all that iron, waiting to be useful!

I googled the recipe for Swedish Bloodpudding and made some wheatfree adaptations:

Ingredients

• 1/2 yellow onion
• 1 small apple
• two dices of organic spinach 
• 500g  defrozen blood (beef, bought frozen)
• 1-2 tbs Fiberhusk (grounded psyllium seeds)
• 1/2 dl quinoa meal (could probably be replaced by almond flour)
• 1-2 eggs
• 1/2 tsp grounded ginger
• 1/2 tsp grounded cloves
• 1/2 tsp dried marjoram
• 2 tbs butter /coconut oil
• salt, pepper
• Lingonberry to accompany the dish

 

Peel and chop onion. Peel and chop apple in dices. Fry onion in butter or coconut oil until soft, add apple and fry. Add the spinached (roughly chopped). Poor the blood in a batch. Add quinoa flour and fiberhusk. Add egg(s). Add spices and then the mix of onion-apple-spinach. Let cool in fridge for 30 min- 1h.

Blood pancakes: fry in coconut oil. Keep on first side until thickened and then flip over (takes longer than normal pancakes, due to the lack of - thank goodness- gluten).

Picture blood pancakes:

Verdict: Kids ate one each. Were not too eager first but did eat enough...

Blood pudding: Poor the reminder of the batch into a oven mold. Cook in oven (200 degrees) for 60-90 minutes, depending on the deepness of the mold.

Picture blood pudding:

 Verdict: After hubby had eaten half, and I had saved a couple for lunch the rest went into the freezer for future needs.

A message from the snowed-in biker:

With this snowstorm outside (and -15 degrees, mind you) I'll just have to accumulate some fuel storage for the summer season...

Times are changing?

Yes! This kind of articles are good wake up calls!!!

Should sugar be regulated like alcohol and tobacco?

And my answer is: yes, please. The way sugar is consumed, particularly by children, and considering the risks this high consumption  poses on their health, some kind of regulation (or at least warning texts!) would be more than welcomed. That would help us parents who think that sugar is not good for our children to gain influence in the overall debate (instead of discharging us as freakstreet freaks!).

That's all folks. Good night.

Popular Doc

I called for an appointment at this holistic doctor... I was asked to call back to reserve an appointment on March 5th, the actual appointment might be in June....

In this private business health environment...I just wonder... wouldn't this be a nische to cover? All you entrepreneurial spirited doctors out there...