Of course I can see myself having some accidental exposures to things, but overall I am able to recover a lot better from those things now. I am at the point where I am zoning in on the things that I can digest easily and make me feel great (meat, eggs, and well cooked veggies), the things I can have in moderation and feel good (salad, rice, and nuts), and the things I need to avoid all together (dairy, most grains, processed foods). I will be honest, it's not exactly how I envisioned my diet becoming, and I felt a bit weird about it, so I started doing more research, and I am now comfortable and confident in my choices.
The reason why I feel weird about what I am eating, is that my diet consists mostly of animal products, with a healthy dose of fat, nuts, and some fruits and veggies. It's kind of like the reverse of the food pyramid, minus dairy and grains. So initially it sounds backwards. But then again if you think about it, it makes a lot of sense. Our bodies were designed to be eating mostly meats and supplementing with easily accessible veggies and nuts. So it's not surprise that when you eat those things, you feel better. It's sort of silly that modern thought dictates that animal products (fat and cholesterol) are bad. Well, I guess if it's coming from feedlot animals it is kind of bad. They have the same health issues we do, I mean they are eating the same things we are. But if you can find grass fed, pasture raised animals, (which is not as hard as I thought it would be, and doesn't have to be really expensive), you should eat as much as you want. Our bodies NEED that fat and cholesterol; most of our cells are made up of fats and cholesterol. And if you feed and nourish your body, you will feel great! If you are carrying excess weight, it will melt away (go ahead TRY to gain weight while eating a daily dose of coconut oil!). I read a study that indicated that when farmers tried to fatten up their pigs by adding coconut oil to the feed, they found that the pigs were leaner and healthier. What actually did get them fat? Corn and Soy. Feed them a little of that every day, and they gained weight while eating less. Now go read the ingredients on the snack you just ate.
Anyway, different people will feel better with an emphysis of different foods, but when you eat something, you should ask yourself "How does this nourish me?" If is isn't going to nourish you, why are you eating it?? That makes the distinction between food and extra "stuff". Filler. Junk. Whatever. And you should keep in mind that synthetic versions of vitamins are not just as good as the real thing. And they can actually prevent absorption of the real thing. So eat real healthy whole food!
My brave new recipe comes from the "Mommypotomus" who I love to follow; she is a GAPS success story and has some wonderful, wholesome recipes and stories. (see original recipe here: http://www.mommypotamus.com/ultimate-beef-liver-chili/).
A little while back, I purchased some fresh calf liver. I have been fearful of trying it, but excited at the same time. Liver is one of those ultimate healthy foods, and I have been dying to be brave enough to try it. Well, the time has come, and it has not disappointed. I had to tweak the recipe a bit so that the liver taste wasn't so strong, since I was using calf liver instead of chicken livers, which are milder.
Here is a blurb from an old research paper that may help you give it a shot:
"Back in the 1950′s Dr. Benjamin K. Ershoff selected three groups of rats for a feeding experiment. The first group was fed a basic diet fortified with 11 vitamins. Group 2 received the same ration along with b-complex vitamins. Group 3 also ate the same diet, but instead of b-vitamins they were supplemented with powdered liver.
After several weeks, the animals were placed one by one into a drum of cold water from which they could not climb out. They literally were forced to sink or swim. Rats in the first group swam for an average 13.3 minutes before giving up. The second group, which had the added fortifications of B vitamins, swam for an average of 13.4 minutes. Of the last group of rats, the ones receiving liver, three swam for 63, 83 and 87 minutes. The other nine rats in this group were still swimming vigorously at the end of two hours when the test was terminated. Something in the liver had prevented them from becoming exhausted. To this day scientists have not been able to pin a label on this anti-fatigue factor.
~The Mommypotomus site
You know what? It doesn't disappoint!
I followed the recipe as described, except I needed to tone it down. And I added bacon (of course!) Once I finished cooking it, I added another pound of ground beef, about a cup of rice, and 3 huge jalepenos. And a little extra seasoning. All in all it wasn't horrible. Okay, the first few bites took some getting used to. But I ate a little more the next day, and a bunch more the next day...I've been eating it every day all this week. The more I eat, the better I feel, and the less weird it tastes. I will need a little break though, I mean, eat anything this many days in a row and it gets old. We have a TON of it though! I froze a whole bunch, so I can thaw out more when I want...and I imagine it won't be very long before I go looking for it. I'm actually thinking about getting some more to keep around. Crazy, I know!
So it's been a week since I made the chili, and I still think it's awesome. I did end up defrosting more today, just to indulge a little bit more. Time to find me some more liver!!!
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