Body Ecology Month 2

The boys holding mason jars full of fermented vegetables.

Here is what I know for sure: food combining works. In short, for proper digestion combine:

- ocean veggies and/or non-starchy veggies with animal protein

- ocean veggies and/or non-starchy veggies with starchy veggies

- ocean veggies and/or non-starchy veggies with grain-like seeds (millet, quinoa, amaranth, buckwheat)

- ocean veggies and/or non-starchy veggies with protein fat

In other words, steak (animal protein) and potatoes (starchy vegetable) do not mix. Think fish and rice, or a shrimp pasta - bad combination. The original Body Ecology book goes into great depth about this. There is plenty of other books about it too. How do I know this is true? My kids turned back into Gassy Fart Machines when they violated this rule. Raymond had chicken noodle soup when he was briefly sick (I think he and I successfully fought off the flu with energy work, sleep, and essential oils). All he did was fart. He did not with the vegetable soup. 

Thanksgiving was another one. We went to my friend Kristine's house. (I am sorry there are no pictures. I made a chocolate ganache pie and kale salad. I accidentally spilled almond milk on my cell phone, which hurts for more than one reason. It's acting up, as you can imagine. I have to get a new one. Taking photos or anything else is tricky). I let them eat what they wanted. Yikes...Return to Fartland. I have realized this about myself too, so I have been food combining as well. 

I also added homemade fermented vegetables to their program. I use cabbage, carrots, garlic, and ginger along with Body Ecology Culture Starter and Kefir Starter. Raymond actually gave me a compliment when he said, "These fermented vegetables are good. I like them." 

WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT? A compliment in the midst of  "I hate this diet! It's making me cranky!" I'll take it! I also added beef broth to Raymond's diet. He drinks it without a problem. What's also clear is sugar does not work for them, especially Raymond.

The biggest news I have is that Jona did something so nice for a girl at his school. His class was walking around the track, when a girl named Lindsey fell down. Jona ran up to her to comfort her. He asked her if she was hurt. Then he said, "It's okay. You are going to be fine. We are going to get you some help." Apparently the girl was appreciative. Jona's teacher gave him a sticker. It's the one in the photo above.

EMPATHY!!! Yes! My baby showed empathy for someone outside of his family. On to Month 3 for them.

Their mom has made changes for herself too. If I can photograph my food, that will be next.

Love,
Althea ◦

Body Ecology Month 2

Body Ecology Weeks 3 and 4

My update on the Body Ecology Diet for my boys, aka The Raymond BitchFest 2015:

Wow, that boy can complain. I didn't have to do this, but I did let him know it was coming. He knew on October 1st that his diet was changing. Last night, he was hot. He let me know in no uncertain terms he hated his new diet, when was it going to end, he was mad about it, he cried, etc, etc. We came to an understanding last night.

-this is my house
-you are my son
-this is my kitchen
-I buy the food with my money
-you do what I say
-this is my decision
-this is the plan
-and we are sticking to it
-do you understand?

He understands. LOL. (Don't you love saying stuff to your kids that your parents said to you?)

Jona, on the other hand, loves writing his grocery list. (Notice I said "his.") Instead of complaining, he writes down what he wants. Today's list is:
-bread
-lemonade
-blueberry bars (NutriGrain bars)
-honeynut cheerios
-goldfish crackers, cheddar or parmesan
-pretzels
-smores

I either say, "Jona, I'm not buying any of that," "You are not getting any of those things," or I ignore the list. He does eat everything I feed him without complaint. I am happy he is open to new foods. He used to be an all-bread kind of kid. He is still a very plain eater. He doesn't like fancy food. No salad dressing, no condiments, no almond milk in his cereal, nothing. I was worried about him more than Raymond. Raymond has been an adventurous eater since he was two-years-old. Now he is the one who is unhappy about the food.

What I have noticed is processed sugar is a HUGE trigger for Raymond. He and Jona had all of ONE piece of candy for Halloween. One. I hid the bags from them. And I'll be taking them to work tomorrow. All things being the same, when I picked him up on Sunday, I saw Raymond's OCD was stronger. So that one piece of candy will stay at one piece.

All in all the kids are the same. The only other change I have noticed is sleep. Raymond is sleeping through the night, but that may be for another reason. I started something else, but I want to give it a month (it's a total of a five month protocol) before I write about it.

Love,
Althea ◦

Body Ecology Weeks 3 and 4

Body Ecology: Raymond and Jona, Week 1 and 2

Raymond and Jona are two weeks into the Body Ecology Diet. They are doing the BEDROK version of the diet. BEDROK stands for Body Ecology Recovering Our Kids. The website is here:
http://www.bedrokcommunity.org/
Body Ecology website is here: www.bodyecology.com. The philosophy in a nutshell is heal the gut, heal a multitude of other issues, both physical and psychological.

Let me tell you all at the top: I saw improvement in Raymond within 48 hours. No lie. No exaggeration. Jona is still drinking apple juice and eating gluten free bread because he is more rigid than his brother. Raymond is no sugar, no gluten, no dairy, and is eating fermented vegetables as well.

The steps in BEDROK are:
1. Remove the offending foods: sugars, gluten, casein, grains and starches, processed foods, soy, refined vegetable oils.
2. Drink Young Coconut Kefir.
3. Eat cultured vegetables.
4. Eat raw cultured butter and other good fats.
5. Add homemade broth.
6. Follow the principles of food combining. A chart is below.

A better chart is here: http://bodyecology.com/foodcombiningchart
Article here: http://bodyecology.com/articles/food_combining_optimal_health_and_weight.php

My children, at the moment, are not vegetarian. I hope that doesn't offend any of my readers. Their plate looks very simple: fish or turkey or eggs, salad with homemade dressing, a steamed vegetable, and cultured vegetables (for Raymond). Raymond is also only drinking water. Jona has apple juice with his lunch. For the rest of the day he only drinks water.

What changed in both boys is that they lost weight. I don't know how much, but it's obvious that they have. Raymond said to me today, "I'm losing weight." I asked how could he tell. He said, "My belly is shrinking."

The other three things are Raymond's OCD symptoms alleviated. His major symptom is touching objects. If he was at 100 before the diet, on a scale from 0 to 100, then he is at a 40 now. The difference was obvious to his father and his teachers as well. The other thing was farting. He farted all of the time. I mean ALL THE TIME. I have heard my child fart all of twice in two weeks. He went from 100 to 2 on a 0 to 100 scale. And his constipation is easing. He told me on Friday, "I pooped twice today." For him, that is an achievement. The only change I see in Jona is that he is pooping more often as well.

Yesterday, I had a medical intuitive reading about my children and me with Gina Laverde.
(http://blissedlife.com/intuitive-healing-consults/) I am a professional intuitive myself, and I would absolutely recommend her to anyone. It's hard to do a reading on my children because they are my strongest emotional connection. The hallmark of a good reading is objectivity, neutrality, and detachment. It's hard to be any of those things with my boys. So I went to someone else. She is worth every penny. It's too much information to go into here. In short, her food recommendations were simple for the boys:

"Homemade broth, slow cooking, high mineral, high nutrition food that has a grounding nature (lots of root vegetables), plus the Body Ecology steps already being taken. Liver support for Jona with beets (which I am going to put in his smoothies)."

Jona is easing his way into the diet. Once I get them both solidly there, they will be on it strictly through the winter, at least. The goal is to heal their digestive system so they can slowly add other foods successfully.

And I am on Day 18 on my own gluten/dairy/sugar free lifestyle. Even though I still have the sniffles, I am back at the gym tomorrow.

Healing is holistic. It's not just food. As we heal with other modalities, I will share them here.

Love,
Althea ◦

Body Ecology: Raymond and Jona, Week 1 and 2

How to Make Cultured Vegetables

Why ferment your foods?
1. They improve digestion.
2. They restore proper bacteria in the gut.
3. They are rich in enzymes.
4. They help us absorb the food we are eating.
5. It's inexpensive.
6. Fermentation improves the flavor of your food.

The simplest way to make cultured vegetables from scratch is with cabbage and sea salt. This is an easy version: Making Sauerkraut.

I had one packet of Body Ecology's Veggie Culture Starter left. I decided to use it before it expired.

Cultured Vegetable Starter contains the following beneficial bacteria:

Lactobacillus plantarum

Lactococcus lactis ssp. lactis

Lactococcus lactis ssp. cremoris

Lactococcus lactis ssp. diacetylactis

Leuconostoc mesenteroides ssp. cremoris

Lactobacillus kefyr Non-GMO dextrose as a carrier (consumed during fermentation)

One packet can be used for seven consecutive fermentations.

(And this is not an ad for Body Ecology or the Wild Fermentation site...only sharing information.)

In exactly 1 hour and 15 minutes, I made 2 different sets of cultured veggies. Cabbage, carrots, ginger, and garlic is the one on the left. Cabbage, orange, and apple is on the right.

First, put 1/2 cup of water, the culture starter, and a sugar source to feed the culture, in a small pot.

Heat to 90 degrees. Let sit for 20 minutes or longer. I bought candy thermometer, which I saw once I ripped it open, started at 100 degrees. I used my fingers to gauge. Ninety degrees is warm to the touch. This is going to be your brine.

While the brine is sitting on the stove, cut up your vegetables. I used my food processor to chop up everything.

Put all the veggies in a bowl. This is the carrot, cabbage, garlic, and ginger mix.

Take 2-3 cups of chopped cabbage, 1 cup water, the brine, and blend all together.

Add that liquid mixture to your veggies. Mix well with a spoon until it's all juicy

Pack into a ceramic or glass jar. The smell will stick to a plastic jar. And plastic chemicals can leech into your food. It's just best to stay with ceramic or glass. Plus, glass is pretty, and you can check on your veggies as they ferment without opening the jar. Above is cabbage, apples, and orange. See the cabbage rolls on top? I use them to pack the veggies down. Cultured food expands during the fermentation process. Allow 2 inches between the veggies and lid.

This is the cabbage, carrot, ginger, garlic veggies. I put all of my jars in my storage room, and covered with a towel. The hotter the room the faster they will ferment. The cooler the room, the slower they ferment. Give it 3-7 days in the spring, summer, and fall. Seven to ten days in the winter depending where you live.

I can smell the garlic without even opening my jars yet. I'll show you what they look like when the veggies are ready!

Love,
Althea

◦

How to Make Cultured Vegetables

Body Ecology Diet

I read this book in 1996 when it first came out. I had the good fortune of meeting Donna Gates at a Barnes and Noble (where I worked at the time) book signing in Atlanta. The book wasn't for me then. I was single with no children. Fifteen years later, I can see that this book was made for me. I wish I had kept my first edition of it.

I'm not done reading, but in short, The Body Ecology Diet gets to the underlying issues that affect ones health. Sixty percent of the immune system is in the colon. Heal the colon and you heal the problem. Donna has a special focus on children with Autism. If you have any health problems that leave you exhausted, or your children are on the Autism spectrum, go get this book.

http://www.bodyecology.com/
http://bodyecology.com/autism.php
http://www.youtube.com/user/bodyecologychannel ◦

Body Ecology Diet