Happy Father's Day, 2016!

     I hope all of you out there had a great Father's Day. I know Ray did, even though his sugar was all over the place. He got Adventure Time: Stakes from Lydia and me, and he got Lego Star Wars: Droid Tales from the boys. I got some good pictures of Ray with the kids.

     We had our usual Father's Day fare: burgers with all the fixin's, sweet potato fries, and vegetables fresh from the garden. We also had some fried eggplant and some homemade pickles. My mom made the pickles and they are the magic pickles. They're made with apple cider vinegar and turmeric just to name a few of the magical ingredients. We napped and watched some of our favorite shows. We made crafts with the kids and just enjoyed the beautiful day. I even got out in the garden and gathered the massive zucchini that have grown there. Zucchini really get huge after a good rain. Some of them are larger than Ray's forearms. They could be used as a weapon. I've including a picture. That's a cup of pens next to the zucchini to show scale.

     We absolutely love zucchini. It can be used as a noodle substitute in traditional "pasta" dishes, "pasta" salads, and stir fries.

     We had hoped to get our first video up this weekend, but we had too much illness in the family over the last two weeks: first Ray with the flu, then Lydia brought home a sore throat/virus from band camp. Now Alex has it, so the video did not happen. Oh well. We are going to try to get that up really soon.

Reducing Acid After the Flu

     Did you know that throwing up a lot, as you might when you have the flu, can cause your body to become too acidic? It's true. Just ask Ray. He had the flu last week, and that is why I did not post. I was in charge of keeping track of his blood sugar and giving him insulin while he was in charge of sleeping, running a fever, fighting the virus....and throwing up. A lot.

     When he finally started feeling better, he was still feeling terrible. He could barely eat, even after he got his appetite back because his mouth was burnt, his esophagus hurt, and his stomach was sending acid up to his heart level on a regular basis. This is something that diabetics are even more susceptible to. I'm sure you've heard of ketoacidosis. Maybe you haven't. It's where the body becomes too acidic and starts releasing ketones in the urine and breath in an attempt to balance the acidity. It's why some diabetics get fruity breath. They'be breathing out ketones It's very bad.

     Anyway, there are natural ways to reduce the acid in the body. The medical way is to pump you full of potassium. The natural way is to eat more fruits and vegetables, especially green veggies. So this week, we've been drinking a lot of green juices for breakfast, and it's amazing how good we've been feeling. We're doing the whole juice by placing cucumber, spinach, carrots, and an apple in a blender instead of through a juicer.

     A lot of times, people see the Paleo diet and just think that it's about eating meat. While meat is an important aspect of this lifestyle, it is not the only one. The true Paleo diet encourages eating lots of vegetables, both cooked and raw, and some fruit. In fact, most Paleoistas will tell you that at least 50% of your plate should be vegetables of any and all colors. In fact, I absolutely think we should change the image in our heads to imagining a variety of beautiful vegetables in all the colors instead of brightly colored candies when we hear "Taste the rainbow."

Paleo Changes You: Your Body Lets You Know Quickly When You Are Intolerant of a Food

     The year was 2013, and I was very unhappy. I had just gotten my second degree from Troy University. I had a promotion at work. I had lost 50 pounds. We were living in a nice place. My kids were thriving. My relationship was better than ever with Ray, but I was miserable. Every day, I itched. I scratched. My skin was in a constant state of irritation. I was diagnosed with rosacea. I had the worst flu that I'd had in a while. I absolutely hated the way I looked and felt.

     I was desperate for a change.

     Then I found a few different things to try. I did an elimination diet, and found out I was allergic to peanuts. And let me tell you, up to that point, I was enthusiastic about eating peanut butter. I ate it every day. I craved it. It was amazing how cutting out that one food made so much difference. I felt so much better. I looked so much better. The rosacea cleared up almost completely. I could breathe better. I wasn't always itching and scratching. My nose wasn't constantly running. Life became brighter and more wonderful.

     I was hooked.

     I started researching how foods affect our health, how humans were meant to eat, and I was amazed that it could really be that easy to feel and look better. And once you start feeling better, it becomes much easier to tell when a food throws you off and makes you feel bad.

     I've been doing some studying lately on Ayurveda. In this system of health care, they emphasize balance within the body. They talk about the importance of food and exercise on our health. They even claim that if your follow Ayurveda, you will not only get sick less often and be sick for a shorter duration, but you will also know when your health is out of balance because you'll be aware of something not quite right within your being. This is also the sort of results I've seen with eating Paleo.

     I believe this is a result of having far less inflammation. When you eat foods that were never really meant for human consumption, your body responds with systemic inflammation. Eat this way all the time, and all you experience is inflammation. Just remember, if it ends in -itis, it's inflammation: arthritis, sinusitis, gastritis, bronchitis, etc. But cut the foods out that cause inflammation, and your body has the time to heal and repair, instead of fighting the flames within. Once you get to a level where you're rarely inflamed, when you eat something that throws you off, you know it.

     In fact, I had been reading where macadamia nuts are one of the best nuts you can eat because of their fat profile, and I saw a canister of them. I love macadamia nuts, so I bought them. After eating a small handful, my hands had swollen, my face was broken out, and my nose was so stuffy, I could barely breathe. I used to eat Ferrero Rocher about once every couple of months, and I'd eat about three at the time. While I'm sad that I have that reaction to macadamia nuts, I know about it, and I can choose to eat them and suffer (on rare occasions), or I can leave them alone and feel better.

     Personally, I'd rather feel better.

Movie Review: That Sugar Film

     I've been a big fan of Morgan Spulock's Super Size Me since it came out in 2004. It's one of those movies where I laugh; I cry; I know every line, every nuance, and yet, I can still sit through it again and again. Maybe that makes me weird, since it's a documentary, but there you are.

     So the other day, I was searching through my Prime Movies on Amazon, and I wanted to watch something compelling. There were many choices. I was the only one interested in watching TV at the time. Everyone else was busy, so I knew I wouldn't have to take anyone else's opinions into my decision. That Sugar Film was one I'd been wanting to watch for a while, but no one else seemed interested in, so I turned it on.

     Much like Super Size Me, the host and star of the movie takes us on an adventure into bad eating, but this time, instead of eating every item on the McDonald's menu like Morgan Spurlock did, Damon Gameau eats a "healthy" diet full of items that many people eat every day. His goal is to consume the Australian national average of 40 teaspoons of sugar a day without consuming any obvious sugar, such as candy, soda, and ice cream. After eating a diet where he gets his calories mostly from healthy fats, this is a big change for him. Above is a picture of him before and after, and that's with his calorie intake remaining the same and keeping to the same exercise program. Check out the trailer here:

     This is just as amazing a film as Super Size Me. I laughed; I cried; and I know I will watch this movie many times, as well. Not too far into the movie, the whole family had wandered in to watch as well, so you know it has to be good. While it doesn't specifically talk about the Paleo diet, it still showcases why all the sugars that people consume in the form of sweetened dairy products, breads, juices, and elsewhere are just not healthy and a huge contributing factor to the obesity epidemic. I highly recommend this movie.

Announcement: Big Plans

     You've probably noticed lately that I've been slacking a bit in keeping up with this blog. Okay, I've been slacking a lot. I haven't wanted to be such a slacker. I really had very good intentions. My problem was, I was so danged tired. I was working in a job that just took all my brain power, willpower, and drive and flushed it down the toilet. I was so tired and stressed that even though I was eating the way I've been eating in order to lose the weight that I've lost, I was gaining weight. And I would get home after a nine-hour shift, and I would fall asleep on the couch, wake up long enough to eat dinner, be a grouch for a bit, and fall asleep again while watching my favorite shows. Then I would get up, go to bed, sleep eight hours, get up, and do it all over again.

     Then I finally said, "Enough is enough." Okay, that's not true. I'd had enough some time ago. I've used what little energy I've had to search for a different job. Then I said, "Enough is enough." And now I'm out of there. And I have a job with a regular schedule, so I'm hoping I'll be able to update this blog every Monday.

     I still have a few more articles to do on How Paleo Changes You, but I'm also hoping to do some more recipes and article on the benefits of certain foods and updates on family and living Paleo. I'm also working on some digital cookbooks and Paleo party books that I'll be selling online. I'm also hoping to have some opportunities to make some videos featuring some of my favorite Paleo and Primal desserts, some exercise videos, and whatever else comes to mind. I might even *gasp* be able to get my Facebook page updated and get things rocking and rolling on some other social media sites. And I'll be regularly updating my other blogs, so get ready internet. I'M BACK!

Paleo Changes You: Commercials Have Less Sway Over You

     I grew up watching TV. I can remember the commercials of my childhood, the jingles were especially catchy back then. I would buy cereal because it had my favorite cartoon characters on it. Remember Smurf Berry cereal? It was so artificially colored that it turned your poop purple. I had to try all the ones from my favorite shows, movies, and franchises: Barbie, Batman, E.T., Ghost Busters, Rainbow Brite, Dunkin' Doughnuts; heck, I once got a cereal just because it came with a CD that featured the theme song to my favorite show. And that's just cereal.

     Candy and packaged cakes and treats were even worse for me. I ate cereal every day but with no real love. Candy, however, was my kryptonite, and if it had a funky, funny, or interesting commercial, then it was going home with me. Sure, I had my favorites: circus peanuts, candy-covered chocolate pieces, anything with peanut butter and chocolate, and chocolate-covered cherries. Then there were cookies. I once tried a cookie with rainbow bits, peanut butter, and chocolate because the commercial was so fun and funky. They were disgusting! Then there were some other cookies with peanut butter cups, and they were okay, but the peanut butter tasted waxy. I continued to eat them because I liked the commercial and they were addictive.

     Now things are very different. I don't even shop in the aisles with all that junk. I see those commercials and laugh. I can still appreciate the time and creativity that went into them, but the products themselves have no sway. I can't imagine putting that junk into my body anymore. It's the Monday after the biggest commercial Sunday of the year, and I've heard people talking about their favorites. A corn chip is coming in on top, and people are talking about how much they want to get a back, and I'm just thinking about how gross they actually taste once you get over the addicting science that goes into making them the perfect combination of fat, salt, and sugar: the trifecta of food addiction.

Paleo Changes You: Your Eyes Adjust to Light Changes More Quickly

     Sometimes it's hard to recognize that something has changed. I had not observed that I had changed until one day at work. Our store got hit by a tornado, and our pharmacy was moved out to the front of the store in a trailer. It was the middle of summer, and it was bright and hot. I had just gotten back from lunch, walked into the trailer and went straight to work. A minute later, a woman came inside and started talking about how bright it was outside and the fact that she couldn't see because her eyes had not yet adjusted.

     It was at that moment that I realized I had no real adjustment period. So I had to share. Ray and I went for a walk, and as we got closer to home, I brought his attention to how bright it was outside, and he remarked that it was going to be a while before he'd be able to see once he got inside, and I told him to make a note of it. As we walked inside, he gasped at the fact that he could see.

     I've also found that when the lights go out, I can see in the dark a lot faster, and when I go into bright light, I'm not blinded anymore as well. It's like having a kind of superpower.