9 Belfast Bites

[ladyshanny]

and until such times as I have more/larger scobys I can only really brew 4 litres at a time 

 

The size of your scoby doesn't really matter.  Throw whatever little guy(s) you have into a large vessel, no problem!  Might take them a couple extra days to turn the batch over but they'll be able to do it!  The more "mother liquid" you have from a previous completed batch, the quicker the larger one will turn over too.  Size doesn't matter!  

 

So this evening I prepared a new batch of tea, bottled about 3/4 of the one jar I'd taste tested, then topped it up with the fresh batch of tea, leaving the mother & baby scobys both in the jar. I know that technically this probably wasn't the best approach, 

 

This is exactly the method I use every week.  Don't worry too much about "unsealing" the scoby from the liquid, bad things sometimes happen to good brews, but for the most part your brew should be fine and the scoby(s) that are in there will rise to the top.  As long as everything you use is clean and you cover it, you're good to go!  

[jmcbn]

The size of your scoby doesn't really matter.  Throw whatever little guy(s) you have into a large vessel, no problem!  Might take them a couple extra days to turn the batch over but they'll be able to do it!  The more "mother liquid" you have from a previous completed batch, the quicker the larger one will turn over too.  Size doesn't matter!  

 

This is exactly the method I use every week.  Don't worry too much about "unsealing" the scoby from the liquid, bad things sometimes happen to good brews, but for the most part your brew should be fine and the scoby(s) that are in there will rise to the top.  As long as everything you use is clean and you cover it, you're good to go!  

Brilliant - thank you - it's a learning curve and I'm a little nervous about the whole thing. My starter scobys are so big in comparison to the babies and on the brewing instructions they sent along with them they pretty much said that one of their large scobys was enough to brew around x2 litres, so x2 scobys for 4 litres etc... Better to be brewing slowly than not at all though!!

[MeadowLily]

[MeadowLily]

[MeadowLily]

Enjoy your babies while they're small.

 

[jmcbn]

GARLIC DAY FOUR - NOT CLOVE-R ENOUGH TO THINK OF A PUN 

 

Today, due to my own bad planning I had garlic at only one meal. That said, there were no ill effects straight after that particular meal, but a few hours later there was a teensy bit of gas. Was it caused by the garlic? I'm really not sure. The timeframe seemed a little off going on previous food trials, and it really wasn't that severe, but it did happen so for now the jury is still out, and there'll be a more definitive verdict tomorrow when I try twice in one day again.

 

This morning at the gym one of the regulars there commented about my little tub of PWO egg whites in the changing rooms saying how disciplined I always am. She went on to say "... I suppose you do all that 'clean-eating' too...."

I think I visibly winced.

 

I don't do 'clean eating'. I just choose to eat real food. And I told her so. 

 

People moralizing foods is one of my bug bears. There is no clean or dirty, no good or bad, just foods that are more, or less healthy, more or less nutritious. Food is fuel after all, and whilst we can savour the flavours, use it as a basis for socializing, build traditions around certain dishes, and allow it to nourish our souls food has no moral significance.

Labelling foods in this way only serves to create feelings of guilt, shame and embarrassment. Eat something on your 'forbidden' list and you've broken a rule. Rule breakers are punished, and the punishment in this context tends to lead to a lowering of self worth, which can lead to a downward spiral. And once you 'break the seal' on the forbidden foods often the thinking goes that you've had one, you might as well finish the packet/have ten/try one in each flavour/wash it down with a soda...

Clean eating
Cheat meals
Dirty Burger
Cheeky pint
Naughty girl


Lose the labels. Lose the guilt. Lose the gadgets & the scales. Lose your limitations.

Build a better relationship with food. Build a better relationship with you. Empower yourself. Own your choices. Find food freedom.

Find balance.

[MeadowLily]

Oooo,  you're preaching to the choir.  I won't shout you down while you're preaching good!  That was music to my ears. 

 

It's that black and white stinkin' thinkin' which is related to depression.   I've spent two years moving out of all or nothin'. Just the sound of lean and clean is like nails on the chalkboard.  Clean and dirty foods.   I was naughty today.  Talking about food in such childish terms deserves a good spanking.  Betty's being bad. 

 

I cheated...guess I might as well eat all the things.  The day's a total loss,  I'll just go on a full front end and back end carbo loading food bender and blow it on out there. 

 

I don't fit into 4 boxes or anyone's box.   Nobody puts baby in a corner. 

 

There's major quackage out there in them thar hills and intertubes.  People are wearing tin foil hats and doing all of these things...trying to get their lives in some sort of order.   They're drinking the koolaid, over-thinking and complicating everything.  They've missed the plot. 

 

I like the simple things, simply because they work.   I don't use devices.  The sky is not the limit.   Keep preaching to the choir and I'll keep singing like a bird.   Your post was frickity frick frick awesome.   I gave it 4 stars. 

[kirkor]

but a few hours later there was a teensy bit of gas

 

 

Aside from specific concerns with FODMAPs, salicylates, allergies, etc etc do you think it's realistic/attainable/obvious that at some point each human can experience no gas whatsoever? Assuming proper reintros, proper challenge testing, no hidden ingredients, etc.

I mean, not that I give credence to those "food combining diets" (Gracie Diet is one example (but of course I do like the Gracies for jiu-jitsu)) ... but, it seems like at some point it's inevitable that food item A and food item B will have a little rumbly in your tumbly?

[jmcbn]

 

 ... but, it seems like at some point it's inevitable that food item A and food item B will have a little rumbly in your tumbly?

Absolutely.

And even without the principles of food combining (which I dabbled with many moons ago) some degree of wind/gas is likely even just from eating too quickly, chewing gum, drinking seltzer etc.

But as someone with an obvious issue with FODMAPs, and as someone who [allegedly] suffered from IBS many years ago (I have my doubts - I just wasn't as clued in on what I was eating back then & it's a lazy diagnosis IMO) I know that the gas caused by problem foods is a very specific type of gas, generally with an accompanying pain -  it's not just a tummy rumble. Yesterday it wasn't really that kind of thing, at least I don't think... and if I wasn't so tuned in because of the food trials I might even have missed it, but it was there which is why I noted it.

It would be easy to just rule out a lot of these foods forever, I mean I've done that since the end of July, but the idea is that now that I've allowed the gut to heal I'd like to phase them back in again alongside prebiotics like Kombucha (yum!) & my own fermented veg (which, taste-wise, hasn't been a HUGE success so far but I'm working on that!).

Obviously the FODMAP trials are necessary to assess just how much of each food I can handle, and maybe I am being a little over sensitive because I don't want to ever feel as miserable as I did when things were at their worst, but eliminating them permanently could have it's very own set of problems with the likely changes to the gastrointestinal microbiota over the long term.

 

[MeadowLily]

One of the main causes of gut issues is inflammation.  Bad bacteria outweighs the good.  Using her tools to heal the gut, booch and fermented vege takes patience and dedication but jmcbn is going to get there. These things take longer than 30 days.  Thou the road may wind...fear not the ob-stack-les in your path.

 

[kirkor]

Ya, your testing/trial plan just made me think of the topic for all of us, I wasn't trying to imply that I thought you were being overly sensitive re: the day-to-day results.

You're going to have so much good data after all this, you'll have the most tuned-up machine of all!

[jmcbn]

.... you'll have the most tuned-up machine of all!

We will exterminate..... 

[MeadowLily]

You're Da Machine.      Anyone in your family ever do a lil boxin'?   Fista-cuffin'.  Out in the front yard or anything like that.  Paw likes boxing, all kinds.  We watch it together. 

[jmcbn]

GARLIC DAY 5 - Keep your eyes 'peeled' 'cos I'll not be 'mincing' my words...

Today was back on plan in that I had garlic at two meals. Actually I had garlic at all three meals as I added some minced garlic in with my eggs this morning which tasted rather good along with Frank's Chilli & Lime sauce   

What was the outcome?

Well, nothing much to be honest. No wind, no cramps, no bloat, no gas, no heart burn. Nothing. Except for garlic breath and, later, garlic sweat  My Goan chicken from meal 2 did repeat on me at the gym this evening, but I'm inclined to think that was much more to do with the speed with which it was eaten (I'm a tad busy at work at the moment) rather than it's contents, but since previously I was adding maybe 4-5 cloves to every dish I cooked I'm not about to call this a victory just yet.

As with all FODMAPs the problems arise once we have a build up of them in our systems, and the key to success is in finding the quantity that you can tolerate without issue. Has my gut healed adequately to allow me once again to eat garlic at least once a day, every day? We're about to find out as the garlic trials will continue on into next week.

If I come up against a problem I'll log it here, so ​If I make no comment on a daily basis then it's safe to assume I'm symptom free, and I don't have to come up with anymore garlic puns...     

In other news (as has become the tradition) I bottled HULK's brew this evening. Even from the smell when I was bottling I can tell that those few extra days made all the difference so it looks like 12 days might be the sweet spot for me in the current climate - so I'm thinking maybe 10 days in the better/warmer weather. I've now moved HULK into the large continuous brewing jar along with his baby in around about 3 litres of tea, and HOGAN & his baby will stay in the smaller jar until his next brew.

The fermented carrot, apple & ginger that I made a few weeks back in an ACV brine still tasted a bit sweet to me when I had my first taste test last week so I left it to ferment a little longer. I had a sniff this evening and it's now smelling kind of funky so I'm thinking it's finally ready to eat. I had planned on doing a beetroot, cabbage & carrot one this weekend, but I'm running out of space for all these bottles/jars!!

Apple, beetroot, and cabbage are obviously all high FODMAPs but once the gut is healed it is recommended to started introducing these veg in their fermented form to improve gut bacteria. The carrot/apple/ginger mix has one whole apple to about 6-8 carrots and since all of the apple is sandwiched between the top & bottom layer of carrot/ginger I didn't actually taste any the last time I tried the mix so it will be interesting to see how the gut reacts when I try it out this weekend.

But sure every day is a school day!

[jmcbn]

You're Da Machine.      Anyone in your family ever do a lil boxin'?   Fista-cuffin'.  Out in the front yard or anything like that.  Paw likes boxing, all kinds.  We watch it together. 

My Dad was actually Body Guard to Barry McGuigan for a time when he was training in Ireland back in his prime. I have a photo of the two of them running along the sea wall in the town in sweats just like something out of Rocky, so yeah, you could say we're Boxing fans!!

Barry is now training our current champ Carl 'The Jackal' Frampton.

We used to have crisps here (or chips as you would say State-side) called Barry's Jabs. They were nettle flavoured...   

[MeadowLily]

Your log is very informative.  

 

Our body is not only a wonderland,  it is an amusement park.  Enjoy the ride.

 

[jmcbn]

Today is Mother's Day in the UK and these sort of 'holidays' always make me reflect.... It was my own Mother's birthday on Friday, and since she and my Dad had plans for today we met up with them yesterday to celebrate both occasions.

I hope that my children will one day look on me with the same respect, love, appreciation and genuine awe I have for my mum - a woman who gives without question, who is loving, supportive, gentle and kind. A woman who never puts herself first. A wonderful wife, sister, daughter & mother - and she learned from the best because her own mother was an absolute gem too. If I can be half the woman that either of these two are/were then I'll have done something right.

The boys bought me a card that turns into a cardboard crown which is adorned with hearts, and the words 'Queen Mum' - I've been wearing it all day whilst going about my food prep/chores. I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror when I took some fresh bed linen up to my room and thought about how ridiculous it looks, but you know what? I don't care how ridiculous it looks - they put thought and effort into choosing that card and if it makes them happy that I wear it for the day then that's what matters.

Am I a good mum? Am I making the right choices for their future and mine? Could I have done, or be doing more? If I could go back would I do anything differently? Yes, probably, hindsight is a great thing... but under the circumstances I think I'm doing the best that I possibly can so I'm not going to be hard on myself today, or dwell on the past, but rather look to the future - and I'm going to focus on trying to keep making choices that have a positive impact in all aspects of their lives. This thought process alone is progress.

That's the absolute best I can do - for them, and for me.



 

[kirkor]

>"Sons are the anchors of a mother's life"

They drag you to the bottom of the ocean?

[jmcbn]

>"Sons are the anchors of a mother's life"

They drag you to the bottom of the ocean?

 

It certainly feels that way sometimes!!

 

[MeadowLily]

No worries, matey.  They already see you in that way.  You're appreciated and respected by them and us.  Virtual reality is often not close to authentic life, so many blurred lines but mothers like you create great sons.  Grounded and ready for whatever life may throw their way.

[MeadowLily]

I timed out.  I wanted to continue.  My coz and I took a trip down memory lane today.  We used to play outside all day long. We had her Paw's garage full of electrical control wiring of 10 different colors to make all kinds of art projects.   There was heavy visqueen plastic to make our own water slippery slides.   No phones or TV.   Endless days and years of going fishing and camping together.  Sleeping in tents and grilling fish.  Hiking and building forts in the piney woods.  Going to school together and riding the school bus with all of our pals.  

 

Those long school bus rides of singing and playing our band instruments.  The social life of the neighborhood kids running around together.  School dances and potluck dinners.  Girl Scouts, college dorms.  Marriage, kids and aging folkaronies. We're all in this thing called life together.  Six degrees of separation is more like two with virtual reality. 

 

It's all fun.  Really.

[jmcbn]

HOLY. SWEET. PEACHES.

THIS is why I have to be able to eat avocado again some time soon....   

You're welcome! 

[jmcbn]

SUNNY WITH A CHANCE OF GARLIC

So....... we're on day what? nine? of the garlic trial? Yup, I think that's about right, and I know I'm getting enough garlic on board to really push for symptoms because my bosses' dad stuck his head in my office door yesterday to ask about his VAT return just after I'd had lunch and he commented that I wouldn't be suffering from a heart attack any time soon with the amount of garlic I'd obviously just eaten!         

Anyhoo..... so far there have been very little in the way of symptoms to report. In the early hours of Tuesday morning (the day before yesterday) I did waken to use the bathroom (nothing new there), and noticed I was a tad gassy (and I do mean gassy in the way that FODMAPs can make me), but it passed in the time it took me to use the bathroom and when I woke on Tuesday morning I felt fine so I'm going to ignore that little episode as there was no accompanying pain and if I hadn't have woken I'd never have known. I'm inclined to think the kombucha is helping   

Which brings me on to......

In other news (well you'd be disappointed if there wasn't any!) I had my first taste of my second batch of booch, and as suspected it is far superior to the first. There's definitely less of a sweetness & more of a tart fizz, so the few extra days really did make a difference, and so if I've enough supplies to keep me going I'll wait an additional day or two before bottling the next batch. I opened the cupboard earlier where the bottles are currently brewing and I immediately got a distinct whiff off of the brew - and I mean whiff in a GOOD way. I could be wrong but I used a different tea in the continuous brewing jar this time around and I think the smell may be coming from that batch. It will be interesting to see how different it tastes. And once I've mastered the basic brew my plan is to try adding fresh ginger...

In other other news I plan on moving on to polyol trials as soon as my current batch of chillied garlic (   ) is done. Avocado, mushrooms & possibly apricots (for my beef heart stew) are probably the only ones I'd hope to add back in, with the small possibility of cauliflower. I used to make an amazing curried cauliflower dish and I guess it would be good to eat that again, but of ALL the foods I've excluded over the past seven (!!) months cauliflower is the one I've missed least. But then I did get that shiny new food processor for my Birthday, and I've never made cauliflower rice so maybe, just maybe I'll give that a try.... But then in ALL the years I've eaten paleo I've never felt the need to replace my old rice/bread/pasta habit with some other food. When people ask what I eat with a curry I usually tell 'em "...um, more curry..."   

In other other OTHER news the Whole9 focus for March is Sleep. Having focussed on sleep last time around (and seen HUGE improvements) I have this one little area I want to change this time. I have a good bed time routine - we keep the lights dim downstairs once it's dark, I shut down my laptop & head up to bed with the boys... we chat for a while... they go to sleep.... I read..... then I go to sleep. Well, at least *technically* that's the plan. In practical terms I do a quick scroll through social media on my phone before hitting the 'start' button on my sleep cycle app. And 'quick' can sometimes last 10mins, or longer if something catches my eye  That habit has GOT to go. There is very clearly NOTHING on my various social media newsfeeds that can't wait until tomorrow, and I know very well that the extra 10mins (or more) sleep is SO much more important - on SO many levels.

So today is March 10th - I've had a 60% success rate thus far. If I was in school my teacher would say 'must try harder'

And really I must.

[MeadowLily]

[MeadowLily]