Breakthrough on Swedish television!!!

Things happening in Sweden. Best birthday gift ever to me!

This week a talk show has been dealing with the topic "the white poisons" (provoking according to them, normal stuff to me, but about milk, sugar and white flour and how we react on them).

Today the last program made me very emotional. Because it focused on children and their diet. And the mother that appears tell her story, which could almost have been mine, except that we never have had any "serious reactions" just subtle indications. Child with stomach problems, later serious tantrums. Couragous mother who fought for 2 years to get the doctors to agree to exclude first milk and then all milk products, eggs, white flour. In the program she shows her frustration and is straight foward with the message that doctors need to change their opinion on children's allergy to these foods. It is important to recognize that some of the most important foods that our children eat every day can cause serious problems. She goes as far as saying that this is criminal!


"If you as a mother feel that something isn't right, then something isn't right" and "I almost had a nervous breakdown for all the fighting"!!!!

 This is exactly how I feel! Lucky for us our problems aren't as acute as their sons, but still, we have the symptoms, and if we do not deal with them now they might turn serious. I expressed my frustations in this blogpost about a month ago...heh I was supposed to quit blogging... here I am "dándole duro" as the Chilean expression goes).

Thank you, thank you, thank you TV4 for dealing with these important topics! It means a world to me but I am quite sure it could make a world of difference for thousands of children if their parents are ready to do the change.

If you know Swedish, you can watch the clip here:


Efter tio - vita gifter och barn


And one more thing, its not a problem to live without wheat and milk. Not even in a family with small children. We've done it for almost a year now and our kids are doing just fine! (except that they are still not completely milk and wheat free since we are only now doing the exams....which most probably will turn negative...and  with negative results you do not get the allergy certificate needed for the municipality daycare, damn will have to turn my food beliefs into a religion then!).


And now, I'll focus on planning tomorrow's get together, what to serve and what to bake to make it apt for all members of this family!

The nutritionist and me

Went to see a nutritionist. With a good filter I managed to get something out of the meeting. But OMG the amount of "(branded) foods" on her shelves, provided by Food Industry, and mostly based on grains. The expert was also mostly concerned that we eat enough grains... Such a contrast to yesterday's movie "Hungry for Change"(once again: see it before Saturday!!!). Anyway, a doctor's certificate on avoidance of wheat was enough to not have to start debating whole grains...

She understood she'd better not press me on the margarine issue and I understood to stay quiet. What she did say though, was the rapseedoil is better than olive oil when it comes to balance of omega3/omega6. Is this true?!? I tried argumenting that it is not good for cooking as it will be destroyed in the process. She then said that I should use the normal oil, not the cold pressed, since the normal oil isn't destroyed. Well, we'll skip that advice then, since I am suspicious to industrially extracted oils. Cold pressed or forget it. She was happy to hear that we do have some flaxseed oil in our diet as well.

Then we talked milk. Because as usually, I am concerned that my kids aren't getting enough calcium since we have one possible milk allergist and we cannot be eating yogurts anymore. Well I asked about alternatives as for example sesame seeds. She said these do not absorve well enough, and I actually tend to believe her (but I will make some Halva based on this recipe " Halva" to see if the kids like it). Then I asked about broccoli and almonds. She said the amount you would have to eat to get the daily dosis is to high (1 kg of broccoli). This got me thinking afterwards, is  it really so that a childs body really needs the recommended amount of half a liter of milk every day? Or is this something that has been manipulated by other interests as well. Think about it, 100 years ago how many milking cows did you have around to get your daily dosis of calcium. Naaaa, I am skeptical on this one. But on the other hand I am not ready to sacrify the health of my children either....

So she recommended soy milk - said it is perfectly safe, even babies can have it in baby formulas nowadays. I said "no way José", my children will not be drinking soy milk on a daily basis, that is for sure! Then she said maybe oatmilk or ricemilk is ok... This was anyway a side track, since I said from the start that Kidone can tolerate milk, it is just that I prefer something else if Kidtwo can't, just to not create problems at the dinner table. And the appointment was for Kidone, not Kidtwo, so she did not really have to worry about him...

Back home I started thinking of when did it get some complicated to EAT? Basic instinct of survival and we need dietists to guide us!!! This is where our abundance in food has taken us. We have to ask advice from experts to make the right choices. Insane.

I am with Michael Pollan on this one; food culture is what our mothers (I would say parents, in the name of equality) tought us to eat. But since the food industry has made a mess out of our mother's and our own relationship to what to eat, we'd better go back to what our grandmothers (or great grandmothers) would have recognized as a food. Anything else, skip it. Much of the stuff on the shelves of this dietist would have sparked an enormous amount of questions for my great grandmother. This leads me to the real question: is the purpose of the traditional dietist to lead us in on the path of processed foods? I surely got that feeling based on the stuff surrounding us. But at least my nourishing efforts were considered fine and we had a very diplomatic session!

Twice a victory today

1. Kidone is eating two plates of traditionally cooked meat. Thought I never would see that day.

2. Hubby sees the movie "Hungry for change" online (you can see it until Saturday) and is starting to really grasp what I am bitching about around here.

Tomorrow we will make another green juice for breakfast for us adults (kids can have if they want): celery, lemon, spinach, zucchini. Embracing mother nature.... and one step closer to yet another freaky diet: RAW FOOD!

Oh, and tomorrow we'll be going to see a nutritionist as well. This one will be fun. Let's see who has the winning arguments! (actually I am really looking forward to getting some well balanced advice, hope she'll stay far away from trying to indoctrinate me on margarine and rapseed oil....) 

Hair Loss

I have noticed that I am loosing more hair than normal these days. I gather it is because of lack of sleep and stress but Maria Emmerich has an even better explanation of it. Once again.... it seams that the horror movie "Leaky Gut" pointing its fingers towards my head. Greatful that mother nature equipped me with an abundance of hair, so until it gets really serious I am not all that concerned. However, determined to do something about the issues as of April. Anyone else out there with hair loss?

 

HAIR LOSS
There are many reasons for hair loss; most of which links back to nutrition.

1. Alopecia (discussed in my book: Art of Eating Healthy: Desserts) is an auto-immune disease which are directly linked to food allergies.
2. Iron Deficiency: This can happen a few ways: not eating foods containing iron, heavy menstruation, heavy exercise, OR you aren't absorbing iron due to a food allergy/sensitivity/leaky gut.
3. DHT (Testosterone byproduct): This can happen with men AND women. This is when testosterone is converted to DHT (dihydro-testosterone). Nearly half of all men have an inherited gene that makes them at risk of losing their hair because too much of the testosterone in their body is getting converted to DHT and resulting in low actual testosterone. The key is to take steps before it becomes a problem.

How do we fix it?
1. Healthy Fats: Salmon, nuts, avocado, peanut butter, coconut oil. Eggs and butter are also very important because cholesterol is precursor to create important hormones like androgen, testosterone, estrogen and progesterone. Cholesterol is also important for reproduction; it brings out male and female sexual characteristics. These essential nutrients are especially beneficial for children and expectant mothers. As the use of butter in America has declined, sterility rates and problems with sexual development have increased. When animals consume butter substitutes, their growth is stunted and they are unable to sustain reproduction.
2. Zinc: A deficiency in zinc can cause a 75% drop in testosterone. Zinc supplements can cause testosterone levels to double if deficient and can increase sperm production in men. Zinc is found in pasture fed meats, chicken, yolks of eggs, oysters, crab, pine nuts and cheese.
3. Vitamin E: Vitamin E is a FAT-SOLUBLE vitamin, if you have been eating a low-fat or no-fat diet and are losing your hair, this is most likely the cause. I love almond flour because it has tons of vitamin E. Sunflower seeds, asparagus, avocado, olives, spinach and other green leafy vegetables are good sources to fill up on.
4. Allicin: RAW garlic contains the highest concentration of this testosterone-boosting compound. Cooking diminishes the effects. It also decreases cortisol, which competes with testosterone and interferes with its normal function. Add garlic and onions to your meals to stimulate testosterone’s production.
5. Cruciferous Veggies: Diindolylmethane, is a natural phytonutrient in cruciferous vegetables such as cauliflower (my "healthified" rice ideas), cabbage (try "healthified" pasta), broccoli, Brussels sprouts limits the effects of male estrogen. These veggies contain nutrients called indoles. Indoles lowers estrogen which also competes with testosterone production.
6. Protein: Eating protein after intense exercise has been shown to increase the amount of testosterone that enters muscle cells which stimulates muscle growth. Choose quality protein, and try supplementing with one or two whey protein shakes per day (especially after exercise).
7. B Vitamins: Studies show that consumption of B Vitamins directly correlates with an increase in testosterone. Meat, poultry, and fish contain lots of b vitamins. Vegetarians should be sure to take a b-complex vitamin.
8. Caffeine: High amounts of caffeine added to exercise can increase testosterone production. Don’t go crazy with this fact. Stick to 200-400mg of caffeine a day and keep caffeine away from bed-time. Sleep is just as important to testosterone.
9. Niacin: Studies show that niacin increases HDL; which directly links to a higher testosterone production. Increase niacin by including meat, poultry, fish, nuts, eggs and quality dairy products.
10. High Intensity Exercise: After about 20 minutes into an exercise session, blood levels of testosterone increase and remain elevated for up to three hours after exercise. Maintain muscle with consistent strength training.

Hungry for Change: See it!!!

I just posted this to my Facebook-page saying that everyone should see the whole movie and the whole movie is available for free until March 31st.

Well no. Actually it was free to me because I preregistered for it. So I deleted the post from Facebook. Why bother... but,damn it was good. And I usually do not use such strong words in writing on my blogs.
Thinking of ordering the whole movie, just to make the people dearest to me see it. It's actually that important. So yes, their preregistering marketing trick worked on me. That's for sure!


The second best thing, if you do not want to get the movie,  at least watch Jamie Oliver on Tedtalks.

 But this is like watching the five minutes recap of the morning news in comparison to the whole big thing in the above movie.

Oh, and by the way, if I didn't tell you... I am going more raw food now. Aloe vera, chia, siprulina, celery, kale (found kale in the Thai store in Hakaniemi!). Superfood me - now and forever!

And as of April I promise my lifestyle will include decent sleep, less stress, more exercise. These are the things from the "Hungry for Change" that I need to work on. What are your issues?

Making Ghee

This is what I am up to:
Ghee - clarified butter

Since we are trying to avoid all that contains milk at the moment, and Kidtwo is reeeally found of butter (quiiiiiero mooooooor, spanish/swedish - want butter) I need to come up with a substitute. He is saying no to coconut oil - bummer.

Blueberry waffles with apple/blueberry mousse

I've started incorporating more veggies to my recipes, as you might have noticed in the past recipe post on carrot muffins. Two explanations: 1) trying to increase veggie intake implicitly in the kids and 2) we're out of bananas and thus yesterday I subsituted the sweet banana taste with the sweet carrot taste.

Today I made a new waffle recipe and instead of using a lot of almong flour I just threw in half a zucchini in the mixer first, then I added other incrients according to intuition¨.

Blueberry waffles:
Half a zucchini
0,5 dl almonds/almond flour
Half an apple
Handful of blueberries
3 eggs
coconut oil in the waffle iron

Mix all the ingredients and add the coconut oil to the waffle iron while heating up. Make waffles and enjoy!

Apple mousse on top (this was a new invention due to the lack of bananas)
Half an apple
Small piece of avocado
handful of blueberries
1-2 tbls coconut milk

Mix in food processer (smaller bowl) or with a mixer and enjoy with the waffles.


Once again, I made these so quickly, and they were eaten so quickly, and the kitchen was the mess it usually is when I start cooking, ergo, no pictures. But still worth while trying. Our picky eater ate A LOT.


And I do not pay attention much to mainstream media reports on studies on foods reducing the risk of this and that but today this one caugh my attention, as both the waffles and the mousse included blueberries and apples (coincidence!):

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2012/03/19/apples-and-blueberries-diabetes_n_1362405.html?ref=health-news&ir=Health%20News

Sugar is not an allergy, but...

Sugar is not an allergy, nor is the effect of sugar on a child's body so harmful that it could be considered adviceable to restrict intake. This is the conclusion I make based on two significant observations. First, when we first eliminated sugar from the diet of Kidone and saw astonishing results in both growth curves and behaviour, the reaction of our nurse at the health center was this: "why sugar?". She could to a certain extent accept the elimination of wheat but she did not understand at all why on earth we would limit the intake of sugar. This is a nurse with decades of experience controlling children's physical and psychological growth. I was astonished by this reaction. I have the greatest respect this nurse and she is excellent in her profession and I have to say, she was not saying that sugar is good for you, but neither she pinpoint to the exact harms of sugar. This is why my conclusion that sugar is not consider harmful by society stands out even more. Second, filling in the form for daycare kitchen about allergies (yes, finally!) I go through two pages of all kinds of food commonly causing allergic reaction (even 'safe-bets' such as potatoes and sweet potatoes are on the list) but sugar is nowhere to be found. Yes, there is the condition of diabetes  (Heaven forbid that they now start filling her food with tons of toxic artificial sweetners!) and there is the allergy to honey (honey is actually the sweetner that I would think is quite ok to use in our situation).

However, the response to our now legitimate concerns about our child's health (we have a doctor's statement) has been excellent. This is where you see that we live in a bureaucratic society where medical authority is extremely high regarded. For informed people concerned about their health, the way to make the surrounding community understand is not by providing information but by first presenting a medical statement, and only then informing.  I had to go out "shopping doctors" to achieve this. Because my first visits only resulted in negative test results, discrediting my concerns, and an appointment at the mainstream dietist because "eliminating wheat from a child's diet is dangerous".

I myself am mostly concerned about how this elimination of sugar at daycare will affect my child's socialization and view of herself as an outsider. This is why it made my day to hear that today the daycare chef had prepared an afternoon snack starting from our daughter's needs, so that everybody eats the same. I cannot express how much that meant for me. Yesterday I had almost a nervous breakdown thinking of the effect this one-sheet paper with the signature of a licensed physician would do to my daughters self-esteem. I was actually ready to call back to the doctor asking for a new statement, not restricting sugars....Today hearing about this it really makes me feel so much better!

Now that I have a statement, I go on and inform the public...Maybe sugar is or is not an allergy, by definition. But it certainly has some very nasty impacts on the human body. And I am surprised that our society is not ready to grasp this information (addiction blindness?). Borrowing from Nancy Appleton, who has researched sugars's effect on the body for over 30 years, here you can see the 143 effects sugar has been found to have on the body (she bases her list on published articles from scientific research):

1. Sugar can suppress the immune system
2. Sugar upsets the mineral relationships in the body.
3. Sugar can cause hyperactivity, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, and crankiness in children.
4. Sugar can produce a significant rise in triglycerides.
5. Sugar contributes to the reduction in defense against bacterial infection (infectious diseases).
6. Sugar causes a loss of tissue elasticity and function, the more sugar you eat the more elasticity and function you lose
7. Sugar reduces high density lipoproteins.
8. Sugar leads to chromium deficiency
9. Sugar leads to cancer of the ovaries.
10. Sugar can increase fasting levels of glucose.
11. Sugar causes copper deficiency.
12. Sugar interferes with absorption of calcium and magnesium.
13. Sugar can weaken eyesight.
14. Sugar raises the level of a neurotransmitters: dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine.
15. Sugar can cause hypoglycemia.
16. Sugar can produce an acidic digestive tract.
17. Sugar can cause a rapid rise of adrenaline levels in children.
18. Sugar mal-absorption is frequent in patients with functional bowel disease.
19. Sugar can cause premature aging.
20. Sugar can lead to alcoholism.
21. Sugar can cause tooth decay.
22. Sugar contributes to obesity
23. High intake of sugar increases the risk of Crohn's disease, and ulcerative colitis.
24. Sugar can cause changes frequently found in person with gastric or duodenal ulcers.
25. Sugar can cause arthritis.
26. Sugar can cause asthma.
27. Sugar greatly assists the uncontrolled growth of Candida Albicans (yeast infections).
28. Sugar can cause gallstones.
29. Sugar can cause heart disease.
30. Sugar can cause appendicitis.
31. Sugar can cause multiple sclerosis.
32. Sugar can cause hemorrhoids.
33. Sugar can cause varicose veins.
34. Sugar can elevate glucose and insulin responses in oral contraceptive users.
35. Sugar can lead to periodontal disease.
36. Sugar can contribute to osteoporosis.
37. Sugar contributes to saliva acidity.
38. Sugar can cause a decrease in insulin sensitivity.
39. Sugar can lower the amount of Vitamin E (alpha-Tocopherol in the blood.
40. Sugar can decrease growth hormone.
41. Sugar can increase cholesterol.
42. Sugar can increase the systolic blood pressure.
43. Sugar can cause drowsiness and decreased activity in children.
44. High sugar intake increases advanced glycation end products (AGEs)(Sugar bound non-enzymatically to protein)
45. Sugar can interfere with the absorption of protein.
46. Sugar causes food allergies.
47. Sugar can contribute to diabetes.
48. Sugar can cause toxemia during pregnancy.
49. Sugar can contribute to eczema in children.
50. Sugar can cause cardiovascular disease.
51. Sugar can impair the structure of DNA
52. Sugar can change the structure of protein.
53. Sugar can make our skin age by changing the structure of collagen.
54. Sugar can cause cataracts.
55. Sugar can cause emphysema.
56. Sugar can cause atherosclerosis.
57. Sugar can promote an elevation of low density lipoproteins (LDL).
58. High sugar intake can impair the physiological homeostasis of many systems in the body.
59. Sugar lowers the enzymes ability to function.
60. Sugar intake is higher in people with Parkinson´s disease.
61. Sugar can cause a permanent altering the way the proteins act in the body.
62. Sugar can increase the size of the liver by making the liver cells divide.
63. Sugar can increase the amount of liver fat.
64. Sugar can increase kidney size and produce pathological changes in the kidney.
65. Sugar can damage the pancreas.
66. Sugar can increase the body's fluid retention.
67. Sugar is enemy #1 of the bowel movement.
68. Sugar can cause myopia (nearsightedness).
69. Sugar can compromise the lining of the capillaries.
70. Sugar can make the tendons more brittle.
71. Sugar can cause headaches, including migraine.
72. Sugar plays a role in pancreatic cancer in women.
73. Sugar can adversely affect school children's grades and cause learning disorders..
74. Sugar can cause an increase in delta, alpha, and theta brain waves.
75. Sugar can cause depression.
76. Sugar increases the risk of gastric cancer.
77. Sugar and cause dyspepsia (indigestion).
78. Sugar can increase your risk of getting gout.
79. Sugar can increase the levels of glucose in an oral glucose tolerance test over the ingestion of complex carbohydrates.
80. Sugar can increase the insulin responses in humans consuming high-sugar diets compared to ow sugar diets.
81. High refined sugar diet reduces learning capacity.
82. Sugar can cause less effective functioning of two blood proteins, albumin, and lipoproteins, which may reduce the body´s ability to handle fat and cholesterol.
83. Sugar can contribute to Alzheimer´s disease.
84. Sugar can cause platelet adhesiveness.
85. Sugar can cause hormonal imbalance; some hormones become underactive and others become overactive.
86. Sugar can lead to the formation of kidney stones.
87. Sugar can lead the hypothalamus to become highly sensitive to a large variety of stimuli.
88. Sugar can lead to dizziness.
89. Diets high in sugar can cause free radicals and oxidative stress.
90. High sucrose diets of subjects with peripheral vascular disease significantly increases platelet adhesion.
91. High sugar diet can lead to biliary tract cancer.
92. Sugar feeds cancer.
93. High sugar consumption of pregnant adolescents is associated with a twofold increased risk for delivering a small-for-gestational-age (SGA) infant.
94. High sugar consumption can lead to substantial decrease in gestation duration among adolescents.
95. Sugar slows food's travel time through the gastrointestinal tract.
96. Sugar increases the concentration of bile acids in stools and bacterial enzymes in the colon. This can modify bile to produce cancer-causing compounds and colon cancer.
97. Sugar increases estradiol (the most potent form of naturally occurring estrogen) in men.
98. Sugar combines and destroys phosphatase, an enzyme, which makes the process of digestion more difficult.
99. Sugar can be a risk factor of gallbladder cancer.
100. Sugar is an addictive substance.
101. Sugar can be intoxicating, similar to alcohol.
102. Sugar can exacerbate PMS.
103. Sugar given to premature babies can affect the amount of carbon dioxide they produce.
104. Decrease in sugar intake can increase emotional stability.
105. The body changes sugar into 2 to 5 times more fat in the bloodstream than it does starch.
106. The rapid absorption of sugar promotes excessive food intake in obese subjects.
107. Sugar can worsen the symptoms of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
108. Sugar adversely affects urinary electrolyte composition.
109. Sugar can slow down the ability of the adrenal glands to function.
110. Sugar has the potential of inducing abnormal metabolic processes in a normal healthy individual and to promote chronic degenerative diseases.
111. Intravenous feedings of sugar water can cut off oxygen to the brain.
112. High sucrose intake could be an important risk factor in lung cancer.
113. Sugar increases the risk of polio.
114. High sugar intake can cause epileptic seizures.
115. Sugar causes high blood pressure in obese people.
116. In Intensive Care Units, limiting sugar saves lives.
117. Sugar may induce cell death.
118. Sugar can increase the amount of food that you eat.
119. In juvenile rehabilitation camps, when children were put on a low sugar diet, there was a 44% drop in antisocial behavior.
120. Sugar can lead to prostate cancer.
121. Sugar dehydrates newborns.
122. Sugar increases the estradiol in young men.
123. Sugar can cause low birth weight babies.
124. Greater consumption of refined sugar is associated with a worse outcome of schizophrenia.
125. Sugar can raise homocysteine levels in the blood stream.
126. Sweet food items increase the risk of breast cancer.
127. Sugar is a risk factor in cancer of the small intestine.
128. Sugar may cause laryngeal cancer.
129. Sugar induces salt and water retention.
130. Sugar may contribute to mild memory loss.
131. As sugar increases in the diet of 10 years olds, there is a linear decrease in the intake of many essential nutrients.
132. Sugar can increase the total amount of food consumed.
133. Exposing a newborn to sugar results in a heightened preference for sucrose relative to water at 6 months and 2 years of age.
134. Sugar causes constipation.
135. Sugar causes varicose veins.
136. Sugar can cause brain decay in pre-diabetic and diabetic women.
137. Sugar can increase the risk of stomach cancer.
138. Sugar can cause metabolic syndrome.
139. Sugar ingestion by pregnant women increases neural tube defects in embryos.
140. Sugar can be a factor in asthma.
141. The higher the sugar consumption the more chances of getting irritable bowel syndrome.
142. Sugar could affect central reward systems.
143. Sugar can cause cancer of the rectum.

Sources; http://nancyappleton.com/141-reasons-sugar-ruins-your-health/, http://www.healingnaturallybybee.com/articles/sugar4.php

Stress and Sleep

I was just about to write a post on how healthy it can be to continuously work until  2 a.m. sleep 4 hours and then start the multitasking choirs all over again. Kidtwo doing his 8th day of being sick, me still with (low) hopes of getting everything I've set out to do in March, AND celebrate my own b'day on the dealines-day...

Then instead of me having to be creative, I notice that Wellness Mama has the exact same subject on her blog today: Stress and sleep.

Now I am off to get my fourth cup of coffee, its only 10:37 in the morning, the sun is shining and hubby just got home to take the kiddo out for some fresh air. Time for some serious working!

Quick note to the public

The information burden and necessity to write down reflections is building up inside of my brain. I'd like to take on a serious debate regarding the meat vs. vegetarian myths being fiercely debated - particularly when mainstream media goes out to scare people of the harms of low carbing..... Another important topic that is coming is about the role of the woman as the carer of the household, (take a breath here, this is now coming from the most feminist blogger of them all) and how I think we (as in the western women) have been seduced and misused in the name of equality.

So please, bear with me. Stay tuned. I will be blogging about these topics once I find the time (as said, I am seduced and misused, in the name of equality...).

Sweets for my sweethearts

Made some muffins for the family tonight;

2 carrots, grated
2 apples, grated
2 dl almond flour
2-3 tbsp cardamom
juice from a lemon/lime
4-5 eggs


In the mixer - poor into muffin molds, in 250 degrees, 20 minutes. Enjoy!

And now I'll go and try them...

Food and the Urban City

A new book I feel would be very interesting to read...

Check out the blog:

http://foodgirl.squarespace.com/book/2012/3/2/up-with-the-worms-to-talk-about-food-and-the-city-on-global.html#comments

Interesting, very interesting to say the least.

Still waiting for my own piece of land here next to our (sub-)urban apartment. Think I'll give them a call on Monday. This is my second year in the line... It's apparently popular to be an urban gardner in Helsinki.

Kefir - the feel good birds

Kefir, our small domestic pets since a month back are growing and doing well. I think it is time for me to dedicate a post on these as here in Finland they are surprisingly rare.

My friend Wikipedia tells me the following about  my small creatures:

"The term 'kefir' is of Turkish origin, meaning 'Feel Good' and has become the most commonly used name, although it is known in regional areas of the world by various names. Kefir grains are a combination of bacteria and yeasts in a matrix of proteins, lipids, and sugars, and this symbiotic matrix forms "grains" that resemble cauliflower. For this reason, a complex and highly variable community of lactic acid bacteria and yeasts can be found in these grains."

The origins of this fermenting grain appears to be the Caucasian region and the kefir yougurt is today accompanying breakfast, lunch and dinner across Eastern Europe from Russia all the way down to Croatia. Funny enough, when I mentioned to my mother-in-law that we were going to do kefir yogurt she suddenly became excited and started to talk about small little birds. I couldn't understand how this possible could be connected to my cauliflor-like growing grains. Well, Wikipedia gives me the explanation:

Kefir, known as "yogurt de pajaritos" (bird's yogurt), is also commonly consumed in Chile, where it may have been introduced by any of the various waves of migrants from the former Ottoman empire and migrants from Eastern Europe.

Its good to have in-laws with experience on something that was completely unknown to me before. It also comforts me that my husband has been served some very useful bacterias while growing up. Imagine kefir combined with the the Chilean traditional cazuela (skip the marraqueta though, or manjar for that matter, it'll destroy any efforts of building a healthy gut).

So what is so good with Kefir grains? Why go through the trouble of making your own kefir when you can buy ready made yougurt (or piimä in Finland)? Well first of all; you can choose what kind of yogurt you want to have as you chose the milk: Cow, goat, or even almond or coconut milk (homemade coconut milk kefir)! Second, kefir is a lot more powerful good bacteria booster than any of the ready made yogurts in the supermarket fortified with whatever bacillus ( these days I remain suspicious to most marketed health foods by food industry). Finnish traditionally cultured Piimä or Swedish Filmjölk have some of the same health benefits as kefir, but from what I have researched, kefir ir far better when it comes to healing the gut (Food as medicine).

How do you do kefir? Simple, you place your kefir grains (about 1 dl) in about half a liter of milk in room temperature for 24-48 hours (give a astir to it once in a while) depending on the texture you'd like to have. The bowl shouldn't be metalic - I use a glas bowl. I have a lid on mine but make sure air is left to circulate because the grains need oxygen. When the batch is ready you remove the grains and store the kefir in the refrigerator. The grains are then used in the next batch, make sure you do not let them grow too much in too little milk, it'll make the milk too yeasty and sour (happened to me). The grains can also be stored in the refigerator in a little bit of milk until you want to do your next batch, this weakens their efficiency though so the next batch might not be the optimal. For more detailed instructions check for example this page: How to make kefir culture.

And what about eating the stuff? Well, The instruction leaflet I got when starting this venture told me that kefir can be enjoyed as such, but can also be used in baking instead of sour milk or piimä. You can even make cheese buy removing the whey through a thing cloth. It can also me used with buckwheat porridge or in hot dishes instead of yogurt.

Where do you get kefir grains? What I did was a google search with "kefir siemenet" or "kefiiri siemenet" and I found myself a dealer in Helsinki. Now that I have my grains I make sure that they live well and grow. And so they have... Which means that I am now about to share some with friends, who hopefully will have a reserve if my own ever die on me (like if we go traveling for a longer period). So if you are interested, and live around here, I am more than happy to share, since sharing means caring!

Kind of like a horror Hollywood movie

Suddenly its just spreading through every single channel of my blog readings. The leaky gut is hot potatoe. Here comes the sequence of yesterday's post. Leaky gut 2. This is so important than I'd better rub it in, primarily in my own mind, but I guess it doesn't hurt if it sticks to your mind as well.

http://paleoparents.com/featured/guest-post-by-the-paleo-mom-what-is-a-leaky-gut/

Conclusion: Grains/Legumes/milk --> leaky gut ---> disease (diabetes1, celiac disease, allergies, adhd, asthma, thyroid dysfunction.... should I go on? got the picture?)

She does not mention candida. But I want to add that candida - the necessary bad bacteria in our gut - can cause leaky gut in case of candida overgrowth (happens when you kill all your good bacteria by eating antibiotics, or give them their favourite food: SUGAR - in all its deceitful forms, including fruits).

Leaky gut

http://scdlifestyle.com/2010/03/the-scd-diet-and-leaky-gut-syndrome/

Go back!

Starting to see the bigger picture...

After a break and then doing some spot research again, I am able to confirm some of my thoughts on the state of health in this family and what to do about it.

The "what to do about it" is still extreme, but question is, can we really be without considering the drawbacks I see in untreated illness?

Sooo looking forward to the medical visit next week (and the family gathering on Easter a couple of weeks from now).

For myself, I am starting to prepare to go on the "GAPS diet". I am not dragging the rest of the family into this before I have seen some results in myself...

HAHA!

May be that the site is filled with links to subjects that are controversial and that many would categorize as conspiracy theory but please, take a look at this:


Heart-Surgeon-Speaks-Out-On-What-Really-Causes-Heart-Disease

For me, this is closer to the truth than any of those recommendations coming from the authorities. 13,5 months of dedicated free-time reading on this issue and I am quite sure this fellow has got it all right. Heck, he's a heart surgeon, he sees the inside of people everyday.

Interesting website, if you really start surfing around...

My second visit in 24h - am I back or what is this?

Can I make another quick visit? Jeee, I just can't stay away, now can I?;-)

Just wanted to say that I love our daycare! (you might have got a different picture in my previous posts, but let me be explicit: I am never pointing the finger at the personnel were my kids are (not yeat at least, and if I would, this would not be the place to do it) but at the system. I am not going to go into details but thanks to flexible attitudes, my kids can eat at least a tiny little bit more suitable foods for their bodies! So happy.

And so happy that my kids are in general doing great "in school". Let's make it last!

Now that my observations are backup by professionals, I can give you this update. Since we stopped feeding G with milk, this is what I have observed:
- No loose stools anymore, he used to have constant loose stomach. Please be aware of this parents - it is not normal to poop 5-7 times a day, neither is it normal that the food isn't entirely digested before it "leaves the building".
- No runny nose (ok maybe to early to see), which also means that the repeated ear infections stopped.
- No snoring! He used to sound like a woodchip factory before! Impressive the sound coming out of that little creature while sleeping. Not anymore. Sleeps tight and quietly.



Enjoy your weekend!

Not back, just sharing...

This:

Gluten questions answered.


This is the best overview I have seen on the subject of gluten, celiac desease and gluten sensitivity.

It explains it ALL. From Hashimoto's dease to the probability of increase in early death by 600%.

It still just adds to my frustrations regarding my children. Both of them now. How can we get rid of this toxic substance from their diet?

Over and out.