Almost a year?

Well!  This poor blog was lost in the weeds yet again for a long, long time.  I have come a long way on this journey of discovery to learn how to balance my own body chemistry and feel better.  On and off the sugar wagon, I have learned that it is a life long battle, not just a simple matter of kicking it and being done.  It is everywhere.   Sugar sneaks into our lives in insidious ways.

There are some gains in the battle... NYC is banning large sugar drinks, obesity is making bigger headlines (ha ha), Stevia is now legal as  a sugar substitute, and people are truly learning more and more every day about what the body needs.

For myself, sadly I can no longer eat Stevia.  I now react to it, in the pure distilled white powder form.  I can no longer eat the ice cream that folk adore on this blog.  I make ice cream, yes, but differently now.  My body will not tolerate "fake" sugars anymore!  I thought perhaps eating fermented foods for a year would heal me enough to go for Stevia again, and I tried- but alas, it is not to be.  So what am I doing to quench that sweet tooth?

Alas, I am jumping on and off the wagon, that's what I'm doing!  It is a strenuous battle.  Mostly I am trying to stick to honey, and home made maple syrup.  Oh, maple syrup!  It is that time of year!  Last year I learned how to make it, and helped boil down the syrup and even make maple candies to send to mom for mother's day.  This year I am learning about bee keeping, and enjoying raw organic honey from the source.

This may be the key.  Vowing to never eat commercially created sweet things, but only things created by your own hands.  Eating foods that are whole, made from whole ingredients- if you must have sweets, eat sweets you create with whole foods like maple syrup and honey.  The benefits of using these things are 1) they can be local, and 2) they are indeed a whole food with vitamins and minerals.   I will write another blog expounding on the beauty and benefits of honey, I think.

For now, it is enough to say that I am feeling vastly better in my body since eating fermented foods for almost a year now.  I have far less pain, and feel it acutely when I am not taking care of myself.  I am eating whole and healthy fats, fermented foods, honey, and mostly sticking to good local food.  Grass fed meats (local!), veggies and fruits (local!  local!), and grain free when I can be.  Since beginning to lift weights I cannot be as strict paleo as I was; I do eat rice crackers and bread made from rice/ tapioca/ potato starch.  Calories!  I need calories!

Still, I am healthier than I have ever been, and getting stronger.  I plan on writing more blogs on working with honey and maple syrup, in this ever winding road of discovery.

blessings on your health!