This summer has been crazy. We have had a lot going on, and then we found out Colter was Gluten intolerant (Celiac disease) at the end of July. Since then I have been on a bigger health kick than normal. I started out reading Wheat Belly by Dr. William Davis. We are now a gluten free and almost a grain free family. It was amazing to see what a difference quitting wheat had on Colter. I would have called it a miracle drug if it came in the form of a pill. I started out going gluten free to support Colter but found I felt better and Zaybree did better when I didn't eat gluten. We are eating Einkorn wheat and a few other grains sparingly. Einkorn is wheat but it is an ancient grain that hasn't been hybridized and the gluten proteins are different. We grind our own flour from it and Colter seems to do just fine with it. So now I cook everything from scratch. It is a little different to cook with then normal flour but I think I am getting the hang of it. I even figured out how to make cornbread grinding my own cornmeal using homemade chicken stock instead of milk, and everything.
About a month ago I also found the Gaps diet. This is based on a book by a Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride called GAPS. She came up with a way to heal and seal the gut, which she claims is behind most disease. Somewhere around 80% of the immune system is in the gut so it makes sense. She did this to cure her son of autism, however, it is also supposed to cure a long list of other things like depression, Alzheimers, Parkinson's, IBS, Chrones, Lupis, and heal allergies and CELIAC DISEASE! It sounds like just what we need around here.I have read good things about it from people who have tried it and had it work for them. Part of it is including dense nutrition, from fats, organs, and organic foods, and lots of probiotics, where fermenting comes in, and detoxing the body. It is a pretty difficult protocol, so I'm doing it a little at a time and hope I will someday work up to being able to do full Gaps. In the meantime I have rendered my own fats, Lard and Tallow, started fermenting (Apple cider vinegar and Keifer water), and introduce organ meat, (We ate liver for the first time last week, and I have 3 hearts in my freezer). I am also hoping to get chickens next year and hopefully build a greenhouse to provide more organic food options.
I am pretty sure my husband thinks I have gone full hippie, that or crazy, but I feel like we only have room for improvement, and even if we don't see perfect results I think it is a healthier way to live for us. I have already notice improvements in my health, I avoided the flu that came through and I've lost nearly 12 pounds (not bad for eating WAY MORE FAT) and amazingly I have not had any gallbladder problems doing this. I'm sure we have a long way to go but I think it will only teach me to be more independent and self reliant. Go ahead call me crazy, I am OK with it. I will try and let you know how this journey goes for us as we do it.
I hadn't realized how much these two looked alike until I was putting her pictures in the frame next to his.
