It’s the most wonderful time of the year:
Shou-Ching and I are working hard on our cookbook and on raising Luke, so blog posts have been scarce. But we will resume blogging in a few weeks and rest assured, we think constantly of our readers.
In the meantime, I’d like to post a few ideas for Christmas gifts and Christmas charity.
Support the Blog
We’ve compiled a long list of PHD-recommended items under the “Shop” tab. Here are links (if you don’t see any products, exempt us from your ad blocker.)
At no cost to yourself, you can help support our blog and our research by starting your Amazon shopping from this site. A big thank you to everyone who shops Amazon from our site. To search all of Amazon, start from this portal:
Perfect Health Retreat
I’ll be blogging about the retreat in January but let me just say – it’s an awesome experience and a great bargain. If you’d like to give the gift of health to a loved one, a Retreat reservation is a great way to do it.
Now for a few that aren’t about us.
Rachel Albert
Rachel Albert, who blogs at The Healthy Cooking Coach, has been a long-time member of the ancestral health community. Rachel gave a warm welcome to Shou-Ching and I when we began blogging, and we are proud owners of a copy of her excellent Garden of Eating cookbook. Rachel has metastatic breast cancer and no health insurance. She has started a GoFundMe campaign to help cover some of her health care expenses. If you are looking for destinations for Christmas charity, this is a good one.
A Few Deserving Businesses
A few family-owned small businesses have sent us samples that we can enthusiastically endorse.
Sproutfield Farms sent us some delicious pork. Quality of ingredients is the biggest factor in cooking, and their pork is outstanding. We especially liked the pork butt.
We occasionally hear from readers who can’t find good quality meat products locally. There are many quality farms, such as Sproutfield, who take orders over the Internet and ship with dry ice. US Wellness Meats, for example, has been a long-time sponsor of ancestral health community events.
But be sure to check out your local farmers. Hilltop Angus Farms, the meat supplier for the Perfect Health Retreats, sells locally in North Carolina. Friend of the blog Allan Balliett is a farmer in Shepherdstown, West Virginia who sells in the DC area through Fresh and Local CSA.
Tessemae’s All-Natural sent us a collection of their sauces. All are made with PHD-approved ingredients. All were delicious. We LOVED the hot sauces, both mild and extra hot. You can learn about the company from their video.
Erik Organic Furniture sent us a lovely hardwood cutting board. Their Amish craftsman make hand-made fine furniture using the finest hardwoods. If you want the finest possible furniture, and to support hard-working craftsmen, check out their site.
Healthy Nation Coalition Letter Regarding USDA Dietary Guidelines
The Healthy Nation Coalition has written an excellent letter to the USDA Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee suggesting improvements to the 2015 Dietary Guidelines, which are currently being drafted. They are asking for signatures in support of their letter. There are currently 600 signatories to the letter. It deserves more.
To view the letter, go here. To sign in support of the letter, go here.
Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance Letter to the FDA
The Farm & Ranch Freedom Alliance is a group devoted to helping small farms and ranches maintain their ability to produce food in natural, healthful ways in the face of burdensome government regulations which often, intentionally or not, favor large agribusinesses.
The Alliance is currently seeking signatures on a letter to the FDA protesting its failure to respect legislated exemptions for small farms.
To view the letter, go here; to sign in support of the letter, go here.
Merry Christmas!
Blessings to all of our readers!
via this link:
Hi Paul,
Merry Christmas! I couldn’t find the “leave a comment” thing on the Curing Ankylosing spondylitis blog, but I wanted to clear up a few things.
1. I would like to avoid amylopectin from safe starches. You mentioned in a reply to someone else’s comment, to still get sugars from cooked carrots, beets, honey, dextrose etc. But not from all fructose containing sugars to prevent sibo.
Can I get all my safe carbohydrate 20-30% calories from cooked carrots and rutabaga, and low fermentable fodmap fruits of ripe banana, grapes, and cantaloupe (glucose and fructose are in Equal amounts)
So…. Is getting minimum % 20 carb requirement from these simple carb sources and not polysaccharides safe starches as good at preventing all of the mucosal barrier disruption, food allergies, lowered immunity symptoms seen with glucose deficiency? (As long as they are low fodmap equal amounts of glucose/fructose simple sugars)
2. Lastly any reason for not recommending vitamin K2 supplement to Steven w/ his AS disease? I’m wondering if it can over calcify the bones in the spine, like how Fosamax will increase osteoblast and almost falsely increase bone density but not bone strength or fracture risk. I personally have a lot of back calcification and pop/cracking with adjustment. I have been on the NOW vit d/k2 combo for a long time. Thinking about trying mk-4 instead of mk-7 k2.
Thank you for any opinions!
Hi Dan,
It’s largely experimental to find which carbs work best for you, but that seems like a good plan to start with.
Yes, if you get adequate carbs your body will be able to maintain the gut barrier and immune function. You will still need more carbs and more fermentable carbs to have an optimal gut flora, but that will take time.
I think K2 supplements are beneficial, and he should take them, but they won’t be therapeutic for AS. The long-chain K2 forms actually support bacterial fermentation in the gut — that is why the bacteria make them — and I don’t know if that would be a reason to minimize supplements with a gut infection. I haven’t seen any evidence that K2 supplements do harm.
Hi Paul,
I’ve become obsessed recently with neuroscience and attachment between infant and mother. If you like ancestral thinking it’s right up your alley. Things like letting the infant sleep together with mom, letting him “drift off”, are incredibly important in creating a solid physical foundation and the body rhythms we’ve come to appreciate as part of the ancestral lifestyle. Just look into it if you want to know more, i think you might like it.
Regards, Maarten
i’m so sorry to hear about Chef Rachel’s ailment.
we met her few years ago. she is a lovely lady.
little did i know, she was already diagnosed.
i made a small donation
regards,
Congratulations Paul and Sou-Ching for all this work, for all the time you spend answering us. Looking forward to reading your cookbook !
Best regards, Julien
Any update on Chef Rachel? Years ago she would post occasionally on a paleo food and her comments and suggestions were always so helpful.
Hi Adrienne, Unfortunately she passed away not long ago. There will be a memorial service in Phoenix April 26, https://www.facebook.com/events/364686093724551/