Pimpin' Lavender

So, last night, Jeremy made me a piping hot cup of peppermint tea. While this was very kind of him, somehow I didn't quite hold the tea right as he gave it to me and..splash.

Ouch! It hurt like nothing I've ever experienced. (Obviously, I've not had my own children!) In the midst of my crying, I managed to tell my husband to get my lavender. Since then, I have applied the oil liberally every twenty minutes or so.

I wish, wish, wish I had taken pictures of my stomach and legs before and at 3-4 hour intervals. Last night, my skin was so red and angry as the blisters formed. Today, about 15 hours later, my skin is calm and the blisters are growing smaller. They do not even hurt. It is AMAZING.

I heart lavender.

Winner!

Things have been busy! Today was the last day José was with us, which although sad, was an ending to a fantastic month. We really enjoyed having him with us, most of all Ester - it's been quite a long time since she's been able to live with her biological brother. Keep your toes and fingers crossed for us to buy a home with at least four bedrooms in it so he can live with us!

I've spent a lot of time with the kids these past few days, which is always rewarding. Two things happened, independent of each other, which made me feel so vindicated. On Friday, my oldest foster daughter Aileen, made two beautiful fruit salads for me. We were going on a picnic with my parents and she wanted to make certain we all had something beautiful to eat. I was humbled at her thoughtfulness.







They were delicious^nth.

Then, today, Ester felt hungry and asked to make her very own smoothie. She put an apple, grapes, a banana, blueberries, strawberries, and spinach in it. It was yum! Best of all, it was HER idea, HER creativity - you can see the pride beaming on her face.





I feel like the universe has won. Healthy living is starting to become normal in our family. It nearly brings tears to my eyes. They want living, vibrant food. Ester, Aileen, and Jeremy go into our garden and pick a tomato off the vine and eat it like an apple. We serve all vegan meals at our home now. Supper is cooked, but that's fine - I am more than pleased to serve them.

It's finally started.

This post is to all of you who feel frustrated at the ridicule you feel from your friends and family. Be the change you want to see in the world, let the light of truth shine from your soul, and the warmth of acceptance be found in your embrace. Eventually, their fear of change will melt away. Keep your chin up and your pockets filled with sunshine.

<3

Sarah's Shorts - The China Study, Chapter Two

Thank you, sweet little monkey, for the inspiration to the title Sarah's Shorts. While it could be mistaken as pervertish, I think it adequately explains my version of Cliff's Notes.

Chapter Two touches the importance of protein in our society and the beginning of T. Colin Campbell's journey into his studies concerning how animal protein affects our bodies. He also explains the meanings of some common scientific terms, for which I, the science n00b, am eternally grateful.

Chapter Two

Protein, at its root, literally means 'of prime importance.' Since discovered in 1839, protein has taken nutritional science's center stage. The families that had the most money at the most meat, effectively eating the most protein. According to the public perception, protein equaled meat which equaled wealth. As I was writing this, I pondered to myself, "Self. I wonder where the phrase 'bringing home the bacon' started? Could it have something to do with this bias, Self?"

Well..

European peasants c. 1500's could only sometimes obtain or afford pork, which made them feel quite special. When visitors came over, they would hang up their bacon to show off. It was a sign of wealth that a man 'could bring home the bacon.' They would cut off a little to share with guests and would all sit around and "chew the fat.”

Ha!

Voit, one of the first scientists to study protein, found that man only needed approximately 45g a day to live healthily, but recommended 118 grams a day. After all, isn't bigger better? You can't have too much of a good thing, right? (Wrong.) Rubner, on of Voit's students, stated, "a large protein allowance is the right of civilized man." This assertion continues, evidenced as I was asked if my husband still felt like a man after taking me to an all raw meal for our anniversary.

Another of Voit's students, Atwater, became the first director of the USDA and made an official recommendation of 125g of protein per day for a healthy American individual. And, of course, that protein simply had to come from meat. Yikes!

The Nitty Gritties of Protein

Fats, carbohydrates, and protein are macronutrients, meaning the make up most of the weight of the food we ate. Vitamins and nutrients are micronutrients, though are no less important despite their humble offering to the final heft of our food. Protein is extremely vital to the body; it functions as enzymes, hormones, structural tissues, and transport molecules. Proteins are made up of 15-20 amino acids, but eight of them are considered essential to make tissue proteins. If one of the essential amino acids is missing, protein synthesis is slowed or stopped until it becomes available to the body through digestion.

Protein quality is thought to mean that, upon digestion, the substance has the right kinds and amounts of amino acids needed to efficiently synthesize tissue proteins. Guess what is considered the highest 'quality' of protein replacement? Human flesh.

Uh, pass.

Animal proteins, therefore, are considered next highest in quality. Plant foods are considered 'low' quality because they may be lacking in one or more essential amino acids. However, as a group, they do contain everything our bodies need for protein synthesis.

In a perfect world, the highest quality of replacement protein would promote the best quality of health, but it does not. This misleading language confuses Americans. It is a common misconception that plants do not contain protein or one most create carefully matched meals to take in the appropriate amino acids. Not so, my loves. Not so. Plant food does indeed contain protein and the body allows for a slow and steady synthesis for our protein needs.

The Protein Gap

Studies upon studies, meetings upon meetings, and councils upon councils have discussed what-oh-what we should do about the protein gap. These well-meaning individuals have set out to combat hunger and malnutrition. A great majority of these individuals have focused on animal protein, however. The UN declared, "..by and large, the lack of protein is without question the most serious qualitative deficiency in the nutrition of developing countries. The great mass of the population of these countries subsists mainly on food derived from plants deficient in protein, which results in poor health and low productivity per man."

Yes, plants do not contain all the replacement amino acids needed to be strong and healthy. However, it is important to point out that in these countries, variety of plant food suffers. Instead of looking at ways to increase plant variety, many of our top scientists and schools worked diligently to provide the suffering masses with animal protein.

After obtain his graduate degree, this is where T. Colin Campbell began his work. Employed by Virginia Tech and with the help of many colleagues, he set out to the Phillipines to empower the mothers of malnourished children by forming 'mothercrafts,' self-help nutritional educational centers. It was agreed that the most appropriate form of protein would be found in peanuts, but that presented a bigger problem: peanuts are often contaminated with a fungus-produced toxin called aflatoxin. Aflatoxin is shown to promote liver cancer, and it known as the most potent chemical carcinogen ever discovered.

They set out on a two fold mission:

• To find out who was consuming aflatoxin
• How does aflatoxin affect the liver

In their studies, it was found that children were the most affected. However, the children that were affected were from the best-fed families, which ate a mostly western diet including large amounts of animal protein.

This whole time, it was assumed that the high cancer rate was due to the low intake of animal protein, but the children that consumed the most animal protein had the highest cancer rates!

Around the same time as Campbell made this startling discovery, an Indian research team published equally startling results. Two groups of rats were given equal levels of aflatoxin; one group was given a diet consisting of 5% animal protein, the other a diet consisting of 20% animal protein. In 30 days, the group eating the highest level of animal protein had liver cancer or its precursor lesions. The group eating the smallest amount of animal protein had no liver cancer and no precursor lesions.

The wheels in T. Colin Campbell's head began to turn.

The China Study, Chapter One

One of the most important books of all time is T. Colin Campbell's The China Study. If you have read the book, you already know why I make this bold statement. If you have yet to read the book, I cannot begin to beg and plead enough with you to immediately rush to your library, online or f'real bookstore, or enlightened friend and obtain this book.

I read this book approximately a month ago, and my life has never been the same. When I would have urges to 'cheat' on raw, I would always go to cheese with the misinformed thought that 'it can't be that bad.' Uh, false. This book explains clearly and specifically the dangers of animal protein and, best of all, the author backs it with his decades and decades of his own scientific research. T. Colin Campbell has little to gain, aside from the revenue from his book. The China Study is not filled with product placement or nudges to attend some expensive retreat. It is just information; pure, simple, stark, and frighteningly beautiful information.

For those who are still hesitant and clinging to their blocks of Romano, I have decided to write a Cliff's Notes version of each chapter. If what you read and in the posts to come naggle at some far corner of your brain, please do not deny your urge and purchase the book. Also, as the book was published in 1998, I have done a bit of research on my own to update the statistics to our current day. My notes will very much be in Sarah-speak, which pales against Campbell's succinct manner of presentation. Forgive me! (Or don't. I promise I won't cry.)((Too much.))

Chapter One

Heart Disease, cancer, diabetes, stroke, hypertension, arthritis, Alzheimer's Disease, impotence (do I need to go on) can be largely PREVENTED and even REVERSED!! HOLY COW!



How? Lean close to your computer screen and I will tell you.

Psst.

Eat right and live a healthy lifestyle.

What?

No, seriously, that's it. The foods we eat largely determine our health. And, the sad fact is, we're not healthy. Despite spending twice more on health care than any other country, we are ranked 37th in the world for our health. It has been predicted that our health care costs will kick our face at the cost of 16 trillion dollars, and that 84% percent of our population will be overweight or obese.

In 1998, 12 million people had diabetes. Today, 24 million people have diabetes and 57 million people are prediabetic. 1 in 4 deaths in 2008 will be attributed to cancer. If you go to the American Cancer Society's web page, they make a small reference to cancer being linked to high amounts of ingested red meat, low intake of fruits and vegetables, and obesity. They never address animal protein as a whole and certainly do not tell you that animal protein is a promoter of cancer. Last year alone, 7000 Americans died from physician error, medication error, and adverse events. This touched my own family - my cousin's healthy father-in-law died after taking his PRESCRIBED medications. This is madness, truly. We do not have to suffer insulin injections, chemotherapy, and the crushing cost of medical care. Our families do not have to watch us deteriorate into bloated husks. What can we do to reverse this devastating prognosis?



Eat a diet of fruits and vegetables, devoid of all animal protein. The end.

How can Campbell make this assertion? 74 grant-years of research. With his colleagues, Campbell lead studies such as an investigation of liver cancer in Phillipine children and their consumption of a mold toxin, aflatoxin, a nationwide program of self-help nutrition centers for malnourished preschool children in the Phillippines, a study of dietary factors affecting bone density and osteoporosis in 800 women in China, a study of biomarkers that characterize the emergence of breast cancer, and a nationwide, comprehensive study of dietary and lifestyle factors associated with disease mortality in mainland China and Taiwan, known as the China Study. In fact, the China Study is still active over 20 years later! Campbell has nothing to sell - he markets no superfoods, leads no special and expensive retreats. In fact, he has the opposite beginning as the son of a dairy farmer. He spent most of his graduate work improving the 'quality' of dairy. It was this research, combined with the above studies, that unfolded the stark and frightening information surrounding our beloved animal protein.

Why do we not know this? Why isn't this information being shouted from the rooftops? To be honest, I am not too interested in the whole black helicopter government-is-out-to-get you approach. Neither is Campbell, but he does make a few damning points from his experiences on government and private councils. It's enough for even a dismissive cynic like me to raise an eyebrow.

Another reason is that science is obsessed with oversimplifying our health - they try to pinpoint it to a single vitamin or nutrient and miss the point - plant-based foods in their whole forms give us an intricate symphony of vitamins and nutrients. One instrument is not enough to complete the whole song.

A final reason is that we are drowned with twits out to profit from our sheepish desperation for health. We can eat limitless bacon and cheese and be healthy? REALLY!? (No.) Some of the most influential weight loss programs are based on NO scientific fact and are developed by salesmen with NO nutrition training. Ticket for one on the failbus, plz.

The solution to our health is simple. It does not require pills, supplements, or surgeries. It only requires that we take responsibility for our own health and make informed decisions. Hippocrates once stated, "There are, in effect, two things: to know and to believe one knows. To know is science. To believe one knows is ignorance."

Wisdom Teeth

Today, I had all four of my wisdom teeth extracted. I have made the decision to deal with the pain and threat of infection naturally. Wish me luck!

For the pain: ice, peppermint oil, plenty of lavender baths, and rest.
For the risk of infection: aloe vera, oregano, hydrogen peroxide, and raw food.

So far, so good. I had the surgery this morning at 11. I did allow them to put me to sleep, so I have those numbing drugs in my body still. My lip is in a perpetual pout! Once that wears off, the true test will begin. To soothe my husband's nerves, I allowed him to fill both of my prescriptions, a antibiotic and vicodin. I am confident I will not need either, but will be cautious. We are going to Maine tomorrow on vacation. In my opinion, what better place to recover than on a hammock near a lake, soaking in the healing embrace of nature?

Here are a few things I will need to watch for, according to my doctor:

1. Swelling. This is normal - he recommends ice, which I had planned to take advantage of already.

2. The blood clot. Apparently, the blood clot will be greyish or yellow in appearance, though I have not seen it. I am supposed to keep all poky things away from it to prevent its rupture.

3. Bleeding. Obviously, I am going to bleed a bit. If I am bleeding too often, my doctor suggests that I stop rinsing my mouth. (Though, I am not supposed to rinse my mouth in the first 24 hours.) They also encourage biting down on a moistened tea bag, which I found interesting. I have peppermint tea, so I may use that but I will do a bit of research tonight to find which tea best promotes healing. Right now, I am using gobs of aloe vera gel in place of the recommended gauze. Do not become excited - my mom says this is because it causes your blood pressure to rise which increases blood flow, which would increase bleeding. Pretty smart lady, my mom. <3

4. Swelling. Ice, ice, and more ice. If the swelling does not go down, use a warm cloth instead of a cold one. I am also going to research a few different methods for naturally reducing swelling, but I think my aloe vera will do wonders.

5. Pain. Duh. I am not planning to take medication, so I will be combatting the pain naturally with ice, rest, hypnosis, and meditation.

6. Food. Soft diet - hey, raw food is great for a soft diet! So far, I have made a smoothie of tomatoes, basil, oregano, and spinace. Tonight, I am going to make a warmish portebello mushroom soup topped with processed oregano and basil. Mmmm.

7. Smoking. Gross, I don't smoke.

8. Rest. Rest is good for body and spirit, as everyone knows. I fully plan to kick my feet back, relax, and let my husband do the laundry. Woohoo!

The following things are normal:

-swelling
-sore throat
-earache
-difficulty opening the mouth
-numbness
-discoloration, such as bruises

I look pretty silly right now! I have a big ol' scarf pressing two bags of ice to either side of my face. I am still numb, but eight hours after the surgery, I feel optimistic.

Don't I look fantastic?!?!?!?

Aloe Vera

Pretty much every day, I open up a thick green aloe vera leaf. I slice one side and carefully peel the leaf open, then slide my knife along the bottom of the thick gel. My favorite part of this whole ritual is picking up the aloe vera gel and sliding my hands over it; the feeling of the sap transports me back to my goopy childhood. I was always getting into stuff I shouldn't because I craved the touch and sensations of different textures. I turn my water on and run the gel between my hands, cleaning off the bitter sap before slipping the floppy piece of gel into my smoothie. I blend for about 10 seconds and enjoy my smoothie. (These days, the aloe joins frozen bananas, spinach, and blueberries.) I promise you, it is pure heaven.

Why do I do this? I have always been drawn to aloe, even as a child. Perhaps it was my innocent intuition, but I always loved breaking into a leaf and finding relief from cuts, burns, scrapes, insect bites, or whatever other childhood oopsie on my skin was bothering me. I have been raw for a bit over two months now, and my thirst for learning has been insatiable. In my reading, I have noticed a recurring theme: aloe vera. What I've found out in these few short months is enough to make me cry with glee.

Since using aloe vera, I have noticed the following benefits: hydrated skin, no more eczema, and better um, number 2. I used to have this little patch of eczema under my chin and, no matter what lotion I used, I could never get rid of it. Within 4 days of using aloe, it disappeared. WOAH! Seriously, it's gone. Also, I haven't put a drop of my standard and faithful Vaseline Intensive Care on my skin in weeks and my skin is the smoothest and softest it has ever been. My number 2 - well, I'm not going to get into that. If you are raw, you understand the number of times you poo in a day is elevated over the SAD eater. Aloe helps A LOT.

Apart from my personal benefits, I put aloe all over my kids. Every scratch, bug bite, itch, and boo-boo gets coated with aloe. Ester SUPER LOVES playing with the goop, which is great antibacterial fun. It's amazing to watch all her scratches virtually disappear after applying aloe.

Here are some more benefits of aloe. I used multiple sources and, of course, I cannot prove a darn thing. I almost want to become a scientist JUST SO I CAN STUDY ALOE IN A LAB. That's how much I love this stuff.

• Halts the growth of cancer tumors.
• Lowers high cholesterol.
• Repairs “sludge blood” and reverses “sticky blood”.
• Boosts the oxygenation of your blood.
• Eases inflammation and soothes arthritis pain.
• Protects the body from oxidative stress.
• Prevents kidney stones and protects the body from oxalates in coffee and tea.
• Alkalizes the body, helping to balance overly acidic dietary habits.
• Cures ulcers, IBS, Crohn’s disease and other digestive disorders.
• Reduces high blood pressure natural, by treating the cause, not just the symptoms.
• Nourishes the body with minerals, vitamins, enzymes and glyconutrients.
• Accelerates healing from physical burns and radiation burns.
• Replaces dozens of first aid products, makes bandages and antibacterial sprays obsolete.
• Halts colon cancer, heals the intestines and lubricates the digestive tract.
• Ends constipation.
• Stabilizes blood sugar and reduces triglycerides in diabetics.
• Prevents and treats candida infections.
• Protects the kidneys from disease.
• Functions as nature’s own “sports drink” for electrolyte balance.
• Boosts cardiovascular performance and physical endurance.
• Speeds recovery from injury or physical exertion.
• Hydrates the skin, accelerates skin repair.

I found this list on Natural News, but similar lists and praise is available all over the internet. There are quite a few studies and published papers available for your perusal, too. I get my aloe from Aloe King. They've been good to me so far, and they are far less expensive than other sites I've found. Eat your aloe today!