natural foods | Sherry's A Labour of Love

Hello fellow bloggers and friends. I am still here. :). I looked back and realized it’s been quite awhile since I last posted. Not sure how that has happened, yet I guess, since I feel so good, life just keeps on rolling by and so do the days.

In the last several months, we have had to change our diets again due to high inflammation levels. So two of the four of us are vegan. I thought I would share some of our journey and begin to explore the possibility of sharing some recipes that we have found to be delightful in this challenging stage of food nutrition.

As you know, I have Lyme disease. Well, it appears that I gave it also to my children when I was pregnant with them. That being said, they are also being treated. The Bartonella seems to be a huge part of the problem, along with mold toxicity that we acquired from our last house. So, with our high inflammation levels, two of us seem to find a vegan diet more conducive to our healing. We are doing so much better, without pain and lower inflammation levels. In fact, for myself, for the first time in over 12 years I am losing weight. Since I am unable to exercise due to adrenal fatigue, losing weight has been an issue for me. So I think that this milestone alone is something to celebrate.

A vegan diet is not necessarily difficult, it does however, require planning if you want to be satisfied without boredom. Let’s just admit it, vegetables can get boring if that’s all you eat. Creativity needs to be influenced by cultural resources available. Sometimes that can be difficult in the midwest, where we grow primarily corn, wheat, and soy. Retraining the mind to look outside of the box and locate options that are resourced in, that are healthy, not processed and nutritious takes time.

The other issue we have faced is the criticism of some who do not understand a vegan diet. Our society has been taught over the years that we need to have animal protein, and specific amounts of it. We don’t question this, we only accept it as fact and make sure that animal protein is a part of the daily diet. I have been thinking about this concept and wonder why? The more and more I seek out the differences, I see that plant proteins and amino acids are so much better for people than animal proteins. Animal proteins are higher in fat, higher in cholesterol and over higher in calories.

Throughout this early journey and having to explain not just to others but also reasoning out in my own mind the benefits of a vegan diet, the argument that seemed to have the most effect on me was the amino acid issue. Let me explain, there are 4 amino acids missing from a plant based diet that an animal diet does satisfy. These amino acids are lysine, tryptophan, methionine, and phenylalanine. Let’s look at those individual amino acids and see what they do:

–Lysine, is primarily used by the body for tissue growth and repair, is the building block for other proteins that help to fight diseases. “Lysine is one of the building blocks of protein that plays an important role in the production of enzymes and hormones, as well as the formation of bones and muscles.” (Dr. Mercola)

–Tryptophan is important for the development of organs, balances nitrogen in adults and growing children, and also creates niacin which in turn converts to serotonin. (Healthline) There is so much more to this which we will discuss in another post.

–Methionine plays a significant roll in growth of new blood vessels, creation of cartilage, is an antioxidant, is required for growth and tissue repair and cell function. (Pubchem, Webmd, Dr. Axe)

–Phenalylanine plays a key role in the biosynthesis of other amino acids and is important in the structure and function of many proteins and enzymes. (Pubchem)

What is not well known however, is that these 4 amino acids absolutely CAN be found in in vegetarian sources of foods that a vegan eats nearly daily. For example:

-Lysine is found in Tempeh, black turtle beans, quinoa, lentils, and pumpkin seeds.

-Tryptophan is found in pumpkin, potatoes, cauliflower, walnuts, cucumbers and mushrooms.

-Methionine is found in seaweed, spinach, broccoli, asparagus and various green leaves of several of our root vegetables.

-Phenalylanine is found in almonds, avocados, lima beans, nuts, peanuts, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, whole grains, soybeans, pecans, chickpeas, and lentils.

Shocking right? I know. I tell people that we get enough protein, yet most do not understand that eating animal protein is not required to live a healthy life. Did you know that beef has 6.4 grams of protein per 100 calories while broccoli has 11.1 grams per 100 and spinach has 12.4 grams. Who would have known? A vegan diet can be rich in all the nutrients and amino acids and proteins that are needed for our bodies. I began thinking also about biblical times, where meats were eaten yet were not eaten daily. A diet rich in vegetables and grains was the primary source of their diets with a celebration of animal proteins on occasion.

Is this why we are feeling better and our bodies are resetting themselves so that we can heal and thrive? I do not fully know the answer to that, however, I know that with all the information I have available to me from my labs to my genetic makeup (through 23&me and it’s raw data) I am feeling pretty good and so is my family. Do I have to work a little harder on meal preps? Sure, yet it’s worth it.

Last nights dinner was delicious, planned 2 days ago, and was a hit with all. I took Tempeh and marinated it in a lemon vinagarette mixed with some garlic and chili sauce for two days, then used GF Panko to cook in Coconut oil so that it crisped up nicely looking like a fish or chicken fillet. I topped it with an almond mozzarella cheese and marinara sauce. On the side we had green beans that were drizzled with almond oil and slivered almonds, and 5 very small baby potatoes with a little bit of a coconut/almond vegan butter. This is only one meal from our day. The others meals incorporated avocados, cucumbers and black beans. Not to mention the fruit. Being vegan is not boring when you have good natural foods to satisfy. Knowing they are full of the nutrients we need, makes it all so delightful.

As I move into this next phase of blogging, I hope you will find it informative. Join me in this journey won’t you?

Genesis 1:29
And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food.

People ask me quite often how long have I been eating healthy and organic. I tell them it’s been a 20 year journey. Honestly, it began just after my husband and I were married. I read a book that helped me to see beyond what I thought I knew about food. To add to that book, my cousins soon to be husband had a heart transplant and his doctor told him to only eat real butter, real sausage, real foods. If you cannot pronounce it, stay away from it. I remember thinking how different that was from what I was buying and from what I had known about food. I mean, isn’t low fat supposed to be good for you? Shouldn’t vegetable oils be good for cooking? What do you mean real sausage and real meats? What about all the fat?

When we were starting our family, I read about MSG not being good for you so I checked every label and avoided it when I was pregnant. I learned about High Fructose Corn Syrup when our son was very young, so we avoided it and only let him have soda on special occasion (although now, it’s completely avoided). By the time our daughter was born, I was learning about organic foods and was already buying it when I could. When our son was 5 he was tested for allergies and we found out he was allergic to tomatoes, wheat and dairy. So, once again I read all I could and changed what the pantry held. When we moved to our current home, in a completely new state, I learned about raw foods, Kombucha, beet kvass, fermenting, soaked and dried nuts, and my all time favorite book Nourishing Traditions and the Weston Price Foundation.

More recently, with my Lymes diagnosis, 3 of the 4 of us testing positive for Celiac, and food intolerance testing, 3 of us needed to again rethink how our bodies handled the food choices we made. We now eat nearly 100% organic and most of our meals are cooked in our kitchen. We belong to several food co-ops for discounts and eat raw as much as possible. This summer we had two gardens and also our CSA vegetable share.

I have learned over the past 3 years that from August through early October life will be spent canning all that the harvest produced. Canning Chili sauces, Salsa Verde, Pasta Sauce, Victory Sauce, beans, Ketchup, jams & jellies, fruits, and fermenting pickles, kimchi, sauerkraut, carrots, corn relish and oh so much more. Another great process to keep some of the fruits is to dehydrate them. Great snacks for the family on road trips or when your walking through Disney. 🙂

There is nothing like opening the cupboard or fridge and seeing it filled with the harvest that you spent the summer caring for with tenderness and eagerness. This year, my mom, my daughter and one of my dear friends were a tremendous help since I was getting sick half way through the summer. Canning and preparing the harvest for winter is not easy. It’s literally a labour of love.

The journey has been long, yet well worth it. People ask me why we eat the way we do when we still get sick or in my case, I still have Lymes. I tell them that I feel this journey has been a blessing. It’s been one that has taught our children more than a conventional health class, and is continuing to teach skills that will carry them through adulthood for the benefit of their own families one day. By growing your own vegetables, canning your own harvest, and preparing and utilizing what you have for future meals saves money as well. We don’t spend as much over the winter months when we have all we need in the cupboards.

Along with my blogging of Why? I look forward to sharing some of our favorite menus, recipes, and healthy household alternatives that have been learned through many years of studying and research. I tell everyone that it’s not something you can just do in a day, it’s a process. Just like a new Christian and his/her sanctification, it will not happen over night.

When you think about it, what could be better than God’s naturally grown foods!