eat to live

I got the  book Eat To Live through Inter library loan and am in the process of reading it. At first I thought I should wait to post til I finished it and give a book review. But that just seemed like I was out to convince people that this is the way to eat. I'm not. Although, I have written about nutrition and probably will again. I really am not trying to convince anyone to change. I am just telling you what is going on in my life and sharing the good news!

For most of my adult life (probably some time after my youngest was born, she's 21 in a couple of days) I have been overweight. I somehow managed to take the weight off after the birth of each child but, when Jayme was a couple of years old I began to gain weight. I tried numerous diets. Including one that I feel has a lot of healthy ideas and nutritional information that I completely agree with. You can get a general idea here. I agree with their ideas about raw dairy, healthy oils and eating more fermented type foods.

I ate this diet pretty religiously before we moved to TN. It made me fat. That is a bit blunt I know but, well, it did. I had good access to raw milk, ate pasture fed meat, yogurt and even tried my hand at making my own cheese. I continued to gain weight. Just before we moved the scale was nearly to 200 lbs! I'm 5'4"....that's pretty heavy.

When we moved I no longer had access to good dairy. So, we used less. Finances were tighter so I ate more of the standard american diet (SAD). I slowly lost some of the weight. Just by not eating so many dairy products. Unfortunately for me, SAD offers very little actual nutrition. I had lost some weight but, I felt terrible. I was tired.....most of the time. It seemed there was a little voice in my head constantly chanting "I'm so tired....I wish I felt better....I'm just so tired."  This is a picture of me not quite two years ago. I can almost hear the words, can't you?


I began to study herbs and vitamins in earnest trying to feel better. It did help, alot, actually. The better I felt the more I studied. For the first time, the little voice was getting quieter. I wasn't quite so tired. But I still seemed unable to lose much weight. I had reached a plateau. I feel better, yet I'm still overweight and out of shape.

About a month ago a friend on facebook starts posting and writing in her blog about green smoothies. It peaks my interest and as I read about the huge nutritional qualities it begins to make perfect sense. I studied more online and I began making them. First it was one a day, then two. After the first week I began to replace  breakfast with just a smoothie. Lunch is a salad and a smoothie. Supper is salad with lots of veggies, small portion of meat (some days none) and I try to have some beans (legumes of some kind). Maybe with a tortilla. I eat til I'm full at lunch and supper. Not much dairy right now. A little feta cheese on the salad and for a while I was putting yogurt in my smoothies. I haven't been the last week. Just frozen fruit, greens of some kind, water and a little stevia. They are good. Tim drinks them.....without complaining!

I've also been walking. 1.4 miles a day. First I was just walking at a comfortable pace. Now I really walk. Like I used to when I worked at a busy restaurant. (tip your waitresses people, they work hard!) :)

 How is it going? I've lost 7 lbs in less than a month. That leaves me about 22 to go to reach my healthy weight. Maybe another 5 when I get there, we'll see how I feel. Notice I said when, not if....."Confidence is preparation, everything else is beyond your control." Read that on a blog the other day. For the first time in a long time I have confidence that I can lose weight and get in shape. In shape enough to keep up with Tim. To go that extra mile higher. To not feel like I'm going to die climbing up those stairs at Chimney Rock!

Why do I feel so confident? Because, despite the fact that I have lost weight and am eating a lot of "rabbit food" I feel so gooood! The voice that used to chant "I'm so tired, I'm so tired...." is very quiet these days. I had forgotten what it was like to feel this way. The fog in my brain is lifting and I can think more clearly than I have in years. No, I don't feel like I'm 19 again. I don't think I want to, I wasn't very smart back then.....did some pretty stupid things, that I would not like to repeat. But, I feel good. Simply, good.

No, I've not become a vegetarian or vegan. (they're different you know) I am just choosing to eat the highest concentration of nutrients possible. Fruits and vegetables far outweigh dairy or meat. I have a hard time digesting too much meat. Dairy just puts the weight on me.
I read a book years ago called The Endless Steppe. It's the story of a Polish-Jewish family that was deported to Siberia during Hitler's evil reign. They, of course, had very little food and were desperately poor. The young girl decides to try and earn some extra "pay" in the form of milk, by knitting a sweater for one of the "better off" residents in town. It takes her weeks to finish it. She had carefully measured her customer and was sure the sweater would fit. But, when she brings the finished product she's horrified to see the woman has gained weight! Quite a bit! Of course it doesn't fit....the woman laughs and says "It's the cow I've gotten......the milk has made me fat!"

Not against dairy....not at all. I actually love milk and milk products. I was under the assumption we really needed it to be healthy. No, we don't. At least, that is the conclusion I've come to, after much study and seeing the evidence on the scale and in the way I feel. I had thought it was where we got most of our calcium from....nope. There are actually a lot of greens that far outnumber milk in calcium. So, for now, I have said good bye to dairy products. Don't worry if I come to your house, I'll still eat the ice cream you offer and be ever so grateful for it. With a nutritarian type diet these things are allowed, just on rare special occasions. Don't depend on them for your nutrition.

Why am I changing my "eating lifestyle"? Because I love my husband, my kids, my grandkids and the rest of my family and friends. I love God, I love being out in His beautiful Creation. I love tramping through the woods, looking for that elusive special herb or wildflower. I did not love sitting on the steps, left behind, while Tim made it to the very top of our hike. I do not love feeling like my lungs will explode and I will pass out with the exertion, as I try to keep up. I want to feel good. I want to be healthy and live as long as the Good Lord lets me. He'll let me choose the way I want to eat and not stop me. But the piper always gets paid in the end, doesn't he?

If you think of me, say a little prayer, asking for the Grace and self control to do the right thing. To make the choices that offer  me a better way of living. A chance to someday be an old, old gramma. To smile at my great grandchildren and say "let's go for a little walk and pick some wildflowers along the way."

You really need to watch this!

Okay, I know that I just posted yesterday and I don't usually post two days in a row. But.....a friend on facebook recommended this video which, you can watch on netflix streaming. Please, please do so. This could be the most important thing you do for your health.  For anyone who may be offended there is one explicitory word in the theme song. Please ignore and watch it anyway! You can also watch it from the Food Matters website for 4.95. Very worth it. Here is the link to do that. Food Matters Website

                                                                 I'll let the film say the rest

Purest flower of the morning....

                                               Tim holding Aurora Lilly the day she was born.

That is what I decided her name must mean.....Aurora means Dawn, as in the sunrise. Lilly is a flower representing innocence and purity. So.....it just seems to fit that meaning. Besides, as her grandmother, I'm allowed such liberties, aren't I?
Our oldest daughter and son in law have a brand new baby girl. She is pretty sweet! We are just lovin' her. It makes me want one for myself....actually I think grandbabies are more fun. After all, you can do all the fun things with them and don't have to worry about all the not so fun things. All parents and grandparents will know just exactly what I mean by that. We have three granchildren and they have brought such joy into our lives!


                                                                     Stella and her hat!    

This is our son and daughter in law's little girl playing with an old hat! She's so much fun and has lived up to the meaning of her name......Star Beloved.  (Estella Cheri) She is the beloved star in this family, for sure.


                                                                        V (his nickname)

 
And this is their son. Our only grandson (right now) Everitt Sean. You want to know what is name means? Brave (or strong) as a wild boar.....we'll go with the brave and strong part. He's gonna be a tough guy some day! He's just super cute right now. His middle name means, God is gracious. Yes. He is.

Doable dream hikes

This a picture of Tim when we were hiking in Chimney Rock, NC. He looks so happy and content. We just loved doing that, enjoyed it so much.

One of the goals we have is to spend more time hiking! We are not getting any younger and feel bad that we didn't do this more, when our children were home. Sigh....well, you know what they say about hindsight.....I guess we'll just have to move forward and not waste any more time looking back at what we should have done.

But, our finances are tight right now....whose aren't?! Anyway, here we are with very little equipment. We have a couple of those "around your waist" hip packs. ( I know what they're really called, I just think it's a weird name for them) a small back pack, a tent and enough basics to take on day hikes and go camping. Nothing fancy. 

We have very little extra funds at the moment. So, I'm getting a bit inventive. Found the packs at yard sales, got the tent on a really good sale. I've even been entering some giveaways on hiking and camping type blogs. Hey, we actually won something! From PAhikes, we won a pocket chainsaw and it can really saw some wood. Tim had to try it out. Not that he plans on cutting our years supply of firewood with it! But for camping  it'll be really be nice to use,  for those wonderful campfires. I got the idea to enter from a blog I started following they list all the giveaways to enter every Friday. You don't have to be from here to enter. The place I won the pocket chainsaw was in Pennsylvania. Here's the blog if you're interested in such things. Appalachia and Beyond

They  also posted the nicest link about hiking in our area. It has some doable hikes. Close, (costs less) some are shorter, (we'll start with those) and some are longer (work up to those). I thought you might enjoy reading about them. I wanted to be sure and have the link here on our blog so I thought I'd write a quick post about it. Tennessee's Cumberland Plateau Nature Trail I think there are 49 separate hikes all within either a few minutes to a few hours. In other words attainable. We could do many of them as day hikes and be home for supper. 

Of course our dream hike would be to thru hike the Appalachian Trail. Lots of people dream about that one. Our son and his friend seriously considered it at one point. I wish now I would have encouraged them more to do that. At least a good section. I mean now our son is married with two children and some serious responsibilities, his friend is in school and engaged to be married. It would have been the ideal time when they were young and single. Although, some families do sections of it each year. Great family togetherness! It's always good to dream. But we know how fast life can get away from you, so, we need attainable and doable dreams. A lot of those trails fit the bill for us.

We'll keep entering the giveaways, checking out yard sales and thrift store for people who just didn't get into the hiking/ camping thing and are willing to part with their "treasures" for our happy donations! Anybody who has good economical ideas about hiking and camping, we'd be thrilled to hear them. 

What's a Nutritarian?

So....I've been doing some research. The whole green smoothie thing I've been doing and how much better I'm feeling already, has got me thinking. I even have Tim drinking one in the  morning. He does this voluntarily, mind you. That tells me two things. 1. they must not taste too bad or he wouldn't do it without complaining quite loudly about it. :)  and 2. They must be making him feel better also. He has quit drinking those energy drinks almost entirely. He was starting to drink them pretty regular. The point being, he must feel better or he'd still be drinking them  more.....I know that I feel better.

I'm not one to just jump on the bandwagon of healthy eating. I have to have some researchable proof that it is actually good for me. For years I've sort of followed the WAPF type of diet. I say sort of because, with our finances I probably wasn't able to do it religiously. Besides, Tim is a free thinker and eats however he feels like. :) He doesn't eat a terribly unhealthy diet. Not a big sugar fan, likes a nice juicy steak, plenty of eggs, veggies and salad and eats dairy mainly in the form of cheese. Doesn't drink milk and eats white bread. One thing I noticed when I was able to follow the WAPF diet the closest was, it made me fat! I was the heaviest I've ever been. Really.

Now that I've alienated all my friends who are fans of WAPF .... no really, come back and listen just a minute. I am not saying that meat and good quality dairy are bad for you. I guess what I'm saying is the proportion of them in comparison to fresh raw veggies is off. I just was not able to digest much meat and dairy. I have had digestion problems for years. But, I was so convinced that I needed to eat these in a higher proportion than the other. I like the Nutritarian pyramid above. It doesn't make these the enemy or leave them out, just smaller amounts.  Really, quite simple.

I'll let you do your own research but, I really feel like there is something to this type of eating. We've always known that more nutrition is packed into dark green leafy vegetables right? Yet, really we usually eat them in small occasional portions. Why is that? Personally, I'm tired of being tired. I intend to do what it takes to feel better.  Daily exercise and green smoothies have been doing that for me. I still eat meat and dairy just in much smaller amounts. (Tim still eats plentiful portions but that man works hard!)


 Did you know that in 100 calories of Bok Choy there is 1,055 mg. of calcium and in 100 calories of milk there is 195? Hmmm.....maybe "Bok Choy does a body good?!"

I'll stop now and give you a couple of links to some websites and a book I have not read but, will be trying to get through Inter Library Loan I'll let you know if I do. These same links are in my healthy eating  page in the top bar. Plus a few more.
Really good article explaing what Nutritarian diet is.
Dr. Joel Fuhrman's website, some good info there.
Eat To Live by Dr. J Fuhrman

I hope I've given you something to "chew on".....or stick in the blender.....which, by the way, guess what I found at one of my local yard sales in mint condition?!

Green Smoothie Girl
Her you tube channel

I'm walking again!

So I began one of my many new goals this week. Get back to walking at least a mile every day. I do it first thing in the morning. 5:30 to be exact. It takes a little less than 30 min. The above is what I see as I'm going. The other morning in this same field was a deer. The fog was heavier that morning and he stood there almost invisible to me. I tried to walk as quietly as I could. He must have thought I didn't see him as he let me get very close...... then, with a loud snort, twist of his body and flip of his tail, he bounded off over the hill. It was great.....of course, no camera. I won't be making that mistake again.

It's lovely here this time of day. We are finally back to the cool morning air. This summer has been hot! I'm glad it's finally cooling off. It's warm during the day but at night we get so nice and crispy cool. I need my hoodie to stay warm starting out. I am just walking fast for now. Someday it is my goal to pick up the speed and actually run it! I can't now, years ago I injured my achilles tendon and now it gives me fits. I'm working on that, hoping to heal it enough to run.

I'm doing a couple of things toward that end. The first thing I did was change my style of shoes. I began to wear minimilist type shoes. You can read about that here. Minimilist footwear  The idea being that padded shoes and arch supports are not necessary and in fact could be part of the problem for runners. It's quite controversial. It's perfectly okay with me if you like your running shoes. For me, after researching this issue it just made sense to me and I gave it a try. I couldn't afford the high dollar type shoes but, very flat soled sandals and some types of water shoes are basically the same thing. The sandals are great in the summer but, well, water shoes just sort of look, "unfashionable" to say the least. I wear them when I walk....who's looking at my feet then anyway?!

The footwear change made an immediate difference. Very noticeable, very soon! According to research the shoes you wear could be causing some sports injuries. It really is worth looking into. Tim also has injured his knee seriously several times and has begun to wear this type footwear when we hike or when he's at home. Our son bought some of those Five Finger Vibrams on clearance and they didn't fit. He brought them over to Tim and they were a  perfect fit!....well.....he looks sort of different.....but  if they'll help. Does this make us strange?!  My vanity will not allow me to wear them. Jayme loves them and would wear them too. In fact, she says she came up with the idea, when she was a kid and was so mad the first time she saw someone wearing them. lol!

They do make minimalist footwear that really just looks like regular running shoes. Still expensive however. But if anyone is interested you can see that here. I like this pair. But the price!.....I just can't bring myself to spend that, maybe I should but, I do wish minimilist footwear would come down in price. After all, doesn't less go into it them than the cheaper running shoes?  (maybe not) It is my only problem with the movement towards a more natural type shoe. I just can't afford those prices....

When you think about it, it really is nothing new. For 1000's of years men have worn minimal footwear and could probably run better and further than we do in these times. Examples: Sandals during bible times, Egyptian types, Roman sandals, Native American moccasins and even Eskimo Mukluks all fit with minimilist shoes. In fact, what helped to start the movement were the Tarahumara People known for their long distance running. They were running is excess of 100 miles at a stretch in these!

Okay, now that you've heard more than you probably wanted to about another of my weird notions, I'll just step down off my soap box. Lol, it has helped me and if it could help someone else I'd be so happy. I really would like to thank a couple of my facebook friends who were the inspiration for me researching it anyway. But, they are kind of shy so I'll just thank K. & S. (well, I don't know about shy, I just don't have permission to use real names).  Both, are my age (or close) and are in good shape and spend a regular amount of time running, wearing those toe shoes I am too vain to wear! :)

A changing nest

This is a baby blue bird Westin found when he was here. It was just out of the nest and could sort of fly. Jayme thought it was too old to try and care for it, that it needed to learn to fly and take care of itself. So..... we let it go. Seems a bit symbolic don't you think?

When I started this blog I had some ideas and reasons why I thought I should. Some of them are expressed well in this blog post I happened to come across. 15 reasons why I think you should blog.

 I also had some "rules", if you will, that I intend to base any writing that I may do. I think of them as the 3 P's. No politics, no one would agree with what I think anyway! No preaching, that's not my job.  Finally, not too personal, as in, anything that would hurt or expose any of my friends or family. I may talk about them, but not in a way that would ever cause embarrassment or reveal information they wouldn't want known. So you won't find anything to gossip about here. Sorry..... ;-)

I love to write and writing just does something for me.....I can't explain it, but, it does. Also, as was mentioned in the link I gave, I think keeping a public journal or diary (a blog) helps you stay on track. It helps you accomplish new goals in life. I have a lot of new things I want to do. I have spent my life raising my children. They were my life. I didn't "do" anything else. Now they are busy living their lives. I am part of that, but, it is their life, their turn for this season. That is a good thing! I am happy for them. But.....my life is not over, far from it! I guess it's time for me to do things I intentionally chose to put off while I was focusing on them.

 Personally, I am enjoying quite a few blogs at this time. It's like reading a letter about someone's life and what they are doing. None of them, that I really like, are overly personal. Just like in a letter home (olden days) they tell about the news, and interesting things they are doing. Friends and family are (usually) more than glad to hear and may even, on occasion, learn something or be able to offer a bit of advice and encouragement. Plus, with today's technology you can use your photos and add links of interest. You can really spruce it up....it's fun.

Now you know..... why I'm writing in this blog. I have a lot of new goals in life, I'll probably write about them.....when I get them all sorted out! Two of my kids are always making plans and goals to reach.....wonder where they got that from?!

 ....and just so you know.... I don't really like the term "empty nest". It is not empty! My kids call and visit a lot. Tim and I are still here and we are actually busier than we've been in a while. Making new plans and changing the way we do things. There is a bit of freedom in the air, that I hadn't expected to actually enjoy. I never felt trapped being a full time mom. It was my choice. But now, with my "changing nest" I find it's not so bad after all.

* edited to add.....if you are not writing in a blog this is not a recruitment for you to do so. Everyone's life and desires are different. I was just explaining why I felt the need to.

After I wrote this post I found a very helpful and interesting blog. It would seem Jayme's instincts were right and the baby bird needed to be let go. It's parents were probably still around caring for it. They let it go in the same place it was found. Does that baby bird need rescued?
This is my nature notes post. Click on the picture to see how you can do one also. Very informative Nature Blog!

Chimney Rock, NC

Chimney Rock, NC

It was our goal to hike up to the top of Chimney Rock. 

We look like we can make it don't we? Not sure how hot it was....but just as we were getting there they were hauling someone down on a stretcher. Heat exhaustion. It was hot! 90 something....

Proof that we did! View from the top. Tim went even higher....I decided that the park rangers had already been up to the top 3 times that day and they might appreciate it if I just stopped there. So, I waited on Tim.  It is my personal goal to, one day, just keep up with him!

                    By the time he got back, I was feeling better so we hiked down to Hickory Nut Falls.      

 The Falls weren't going very strong. I can imagine it would be good after rainy season though.

 Leaving me behind, as usual....:-)

View from the Parking Lot. Really beautiful park.  Just FYI....This is where some of "The Last of the Mohicans" was filmed. In particular the cliff scene. You can watch that here.

                                   We don't look too worse for the wear do we?! A bit sweatier maybe.

This is not a Lilly! ...oops

I don't know what I was thinking.....probably about my new granddaughter who will have Lilly for a middle name. This is an Iris. I really love the color though. My mother loves the Iris Flowers. At one time she had at least a dozen different colors. I'm not sure that she had this color. I should see if I can find the owner of this place and ask if I can get a start. The yard was full of them here and there. Iris's are very tough flowers and spread, needing to be divided.
It is also the state flower of Tennessee. They are a native plant here. A wildflower. We have nine different species. I don't believe this one is wild. In fact I'm not even entirely sure it's an Iris.....lost my confidence!
If anyone knows differently, let me know. Beautiful flower!

A little side road

The other day I took a side road I had never been on before. I had my camera and was of course looking for wildflowers (herbs). I have a wonderful new field guide that Wes and Jayme bought me this year for my birthday. link to book  Estella  loves looking at gramma's "flower book" and I love looking for them!

 I took the above photo that day and in the field, the white flowers you see are Queen Anne's Lace.  I was really just taking pictures of the lovely old barn. Tim has always loved them. Years ago, he thought we should go around and take pictures of them and make a book telling a bit of history of each barn. We never did get around to it and now we've seen several books doing just that. Whenever we do he says,"see, I told you it was a good idea!"

Self Heal also known as Heal All. You can read a little more about it on my facebook page. Prunella Vulgaris

The lovely Chicory! The roasted root is often used as a coffee substitute. Maybe someday I'll try it but, I really think it just makes a pretty roadside flower. Many of the roads in our area are lined with Chicory like you see here. A constant flash of blue in the corner of your eye. Close up view of Chicory







This was a Lilly of some kind growing in front of an old abandoned farm house (which I should have taken a picture of!) I'm sure at one time, the owner of the place had planted these in a flower bed. But time has come and gone and  they have escaped and spread themselves around the yard. Such a pretty, soft pink flower. My newest granddaughter (she is expected to arrive at the end of the month) will have Lilly for a middle name. So now when I see them, I think of her.