Welcome to the 100 club fatrabbit, 😀😀😀😀😀😀😀 It is lovely to have a new club member, and you have joined at just the right time when the nights are drawing in so we can get a lovely fire going in the clubhouse and drag up the comfy chairs a little closer (at least for those club members in the hemisphere where a white Christmas is actually possible). I am fasting pretty regularly myself as I just feel better that way, although my weight seems pretty stable. Also well done for getting there in a year. My journey took two years to the day, but with a lot of learning how involved which has been so useful.

I’ve been a bit absent lately and missed loads here! Welcome to the 100 club notsofatrabbit, and welcome to the joys of the tightrope that is maintenance. While Allie and Theodora are trying to avoid falling off one side I am wobbling a bit on the other, although still at my target weight, just, with still no wiggle room. Big ‘mindful day off’ tomorrow with the long awaited outing for my ball dress at a black tie dinner in a swanky hotel. I will have the evening eating and drinking whatever I fancy, and Monday’s weigh in will tell me what the damage is. I’m glad to see that our maintenance home is getting nicely busy and full of great discussions. Onwards and upwards or downwards (delete as applicable…)

Hello, Carol, what a wonderful way to start the weekend, hearing from some
of our “silent” friends! I’m glad to hear that you are settling into your new
job. Aren’t red coats fun? I got one for myself this season, after wearing
dark colors for a decade and a half! It’s great to hear from you. 🙂

Allie

Nonna Mary – my mum`s severe psoriasis was made worse by blood pressure pills.

Hey FFBB…so good to see you again. I have really missed you! Well done on getting the Red coat, and still working on the woe as well as working and walking. You are an inspiration!

Will talk later as I am in the middle of something tonight. So pleased you are ok.

Lots of love
Mary
xxx

Hi Allie….I have been all over the place today! Just read your kind offer. You are so sweet to think of me like that. I have several options available at the moment, so I am going to try a new one every one/two weeks. I should see an improvement in a week I think? Have the most wonderful weekend in Rhode Island. I agree with you that this forum is amazing but only because of the people on it…which of course includes you. Safe travels.

Mary
xxxx

Hello my fellow soldiers.

I am so, so sorry that I have neglected you all since I started my job.

I am still here and still recording and counting calories but I am not really keeping up with the journals. After 7 hours per day staring at a PC screen the last thing I want to do in my off time is stare at a small screen.

I am enjoying the job but it is fucking challenging sometimes and it is not always the customers who are challenging! I dont know if you know this but the modern call centre seems to be sponsored by Metformin! Charity bake sales/birthday cakes/vending machines/buy cake it is for charity/lets order Dominos pizza as it is Thursday and we are on a late (Dominos are responsible for 2 stone of my excess flab…..those delicious, evil pizzas!) anything designed to keep you satisfied and in the office!

I make sure, rain or shine, that I have a 15 minute walk on my lunch break and I stretch my legs every hour by going on a “comfort” break ( I am waiting to be challenged on this but so far so good) I also stretch whilst in my chair as I find tensing my muscles and then relaxing invigorating…no idea why and I get “looks”)

I enjoy my “glug glug woo hoo!” on a Saturday night and I am enjoying my own made 50/50 bread again. On a late I adapt my usual meals and have eggs for breakfast with buttered mushrooms (1 of 5 a day) and I still have almonds. My main meal is adapted into a chunky soup with the addition of chickpeas (which makes it into 4 of my 5 a day) and topped with grated cheese and served with my bread and butter.

90% of the time I avoid junk food/crap but 10% I enjoy myself.

I am pleased that I am now 229 lbs and I bought myself a size 20 coat from Tu @ Sainsbury’s (it is red!!!) and it looks good. I got 2 opinions and I checked I could cross my arms with no straining.

I must mention a weird thing…….before I lost the weight my arms never fell “straight” at my sides but now they do I keep catching my bag on my boots. Which makes me occasionally look like I skipped a step!

I have a distinct wattle and I am trying to slow down the weight loss due to wrinkly thigh skin.

I still salute you all, you fab women.

FFBB (Carol)

I’m signing off for the weekend, my beautiful friends. We’re visiting our dearest
friends in Rhode Island, so I don’t know what the WiFi situation is in their
house. Maybe I’ll get an opportunity to check in. Mary, I left a post earlier
today for you with an offer to check into your psoriasis condition on this
side of the pond. I hope you received it. I know that we’ve been participating
on another thread about the subject of fermented food. Really interesting
discussion, and lots of people are going to try your recipe, not just me!!!
I love this forum, and all the compassionate people who care about you
as much as I do. Between us all, maybe we can come up with something
that might help to alleviate your discomfort with psoriasis. I hope so.

Wishing everyone a peaceful, BSD friendly weekend,

Allie

Hi Jackiem…I have spent today trawling through different websites and I saw one that said about Kefir. I make my own so it wouldn’t be a problem to try it. I have also seen some that say, oats, olive oil, coconut oil and Childs Farm Baby Moisturiser. One thing I did learn is that no two people are the same and what works for one, doesn’t another. I feel a few weeks of experimenting coming on. I will try the Kefir first.

Thank you for thinking of me. You and everyone else on this forum are fantastic!

Nonna Mary
xxx

Hi Joes Nonna

We’ve never spoken before, but I just read about your psoriasis and it sounds so painful and unpleasant for you. I’m absolutely not an expert, but I recently tried a commercial Kefir that claimed one of its main attributes was clearing psoriasis. I wondered if you had tried it – there’s been an recent discussion about making your own on another thread (SunnyB is an expert) or the one I tried is Chuckling Goat – SunnyB’s is nicer and the other is expensive.

Sorry if I’ve missed a discussion where you’ve tried it, just flicking through the latest posts and yours jumped out at me.

Hope the Sudocreme works!

Jackie x

We will only be 10, very manageable, we have veggies and omnivores and me! There’s a well honed kitchen routine I don’t get involved in, led by MiL supported by her children (I go sit with the men!) which is why I like hosting as when we go elsewhere I am mostly redundant!

I know MiL is just being nice, just her way is not my way. One of the inevitable tensions of not being blood, though lots of people manage to have blood-relative tension too, just probably not about towels.

Laundered bedlinen is a slippery slope, it looks so neat on the shelf it’s quite tempting to take all of them. But whereas one is the price of a couple of cappuccino’s, three would be harder to justify to myself on a weekly basis. So I put the children’s in a hamper so I don’t have to look at them 😂😂

What WILL you eat at Christmas? I have got as far as thinking Turkey and brussel sprouts/broccoli, followed by cream for pudding, which whilst balanced and low carb may not cut it as a joyful experience!

Looks lovely…..am putting it on my soup to-do list as I make a different pot of soup each week. I love anything with leeks in it and this combo sounds so yummy.

Luvtcook I will definitely try my cauliflower through a ricer. One of the problems has been the wetness. I often put it in the oven for 15 minutes of so after it’s mashed just to dry it out but this way sounds much bettter

I have tried ‘potato cakes’ but not with much success so may give yours a go.

I used to use cauliflower rice but just didn’t really take to it apart from in the occasional stir fry. Now if I have a Thai curry I serve it over slightly steamed sliced asparagus and/or broccoli florets and I must admit I no longer miss rice but I have been eating this way for quite a while now! We are out for a Thai meal tonight and I have bok choy instead of rice and it’s lovely just takes a little time to get used to rice less meals with Indian, Chinese etc food.

I have a block of organic silken tofu ……. any ideas???

I must admit that the amount of cabbage etc should get stuff moving. I am very sparing with the amount I eat because it doesn’t take much to set me off! I have to say when you open the Jar…it stinks! But it tastes fine.

Nonna Mary
xxx

Nonna Mary: I haven’t found the kefir to affect my rate of digestion….just assume it is good for the overall gut health. However, I certainly do find the kimchi to, shall we delicately say, “stimulate” my digestion. Sometimes excessively so. Although a Korean doctor that I work with says it was from eating to much of the “one day old” kimchi at the particular Korean restaurant I went to. The stuff I have at home I eat more judiciously….not so much at a time. Do not want a repeat of the “stimulation”. Ugh.

CAULIFLOWER MASH TWEAK: this is what works best for me and have served it to folks that could not believe they were not mashed potatoes….come out much denser and not at all watery.

I boil a head of cauliflower in salted water (as you would pasta) with 5 cloves of garlic.

Then the key thing is I put it in a potato ricer. This is usually used to force potatoes thru to give them a fine fluffy texture. But for the cauliflower, it just squeezes out all the water. And I mean ALL the water.

Put “riced/ squeezed” cauliflower in a food processor with the garlic, add 1/4 cup of dried parmesan cheese (like Kraft that comes in the shelf stable carton), 1/4 cup of ricotta (if you have some …I always do), a pinch of cayenne and a pinch of nutmeg. Whiz up. Add salt and pepper to taste & serve.

Leftover mash also makes terrific “faux potato cakes” the size of a burger. “Flour” both sizes with a mix of half ground flax seed and half carton style parmesan cheese with some garlic powder and onion powder, pinch of cayenne. Saute in a nonstick skillet on med-high until golden brown on both sides and just warmed in the middle. Yummy.

CAULI RICE TWEAK: I throw roughly chopped cauliflower in a blender and then fill nearly nearly to the top with water and blend for 2-3 seconds then drain it in a sieve….instant cauli rice. Add some oil (or butter, my favorite is coconut oil) to a skillet and stir in a bit of turmeric for color and for the health benefits. Then add cauli rice and saute a minute to dry it out a bit. Add salt & pepper and maybe some finely chopped green onion. The big revelation was adding 2-3 Tbs of hemp hearts. They add a bit of heft to it and sauces seem to cling to it better with the hemp hearts. They are also high in protein and carb free and good for your digestive health. Enjoy.

I’m with you on the hosting front, Jackie – something else we have in common – never happier than when I have a houseful of family / friends to entertain. And hence, Hotel Theodora – never been decadent enough to even think of sending my bed linen to be laundered though (although I have been known to do it with my late Grandmother’s huge tablecloth that we use for entertaining). But since you’ve planted the idea, and I’m not a billionaire……………………………………………………

I have hosted the entire family for the last 45 Christmases but this year my eldest son and his wife are playing host – not sure they know quite what they are letting themselves in for!! I have very little doubt that I’ll be drafted in to cook Christmas dinner though – we have carnivores, pescetarians, vegetarians and vegans, not to mention a granddaughter with 52 severe food allergies – and now a low-carber thrown into the mix too!!! Should make for an interesting menu🤔

I’m sure your MiL is just trying to save you washing! Be thankful she doesn’t bring a sleeping bag too!😜 (I do hope towels aren’t her only contribution – maybe some nice wine too?😉)

Hi SJFritz1967, I too have a strong family history of T2 and while I managed to stave it off for years even as I piled on the pounds (grotesquely overweight, definitely), my insulin resistance made it impossible to lose weight in any significant way. Then I found the BSD and everything changed. I’ve lost something in the neighborhood of 200 pounds since I began the diet in August of last year. I look and feel like a completely different person.

Tip two: measure, weigh and count the carbs and calories of every bite of food you eat. Get a reliable kitchen scale if you don’t have one. Use a tracking app like MyFitnessPal or Fat Secret to avoid having to do any math. Do not attempt to estimate.

Good luck!

Cornmeal has a GI of 69, the same as whole wheat flour. It is extremely high in carbs and I have seen no persuasive evidence that it aids in blood sugar control. The only reason polenta could possibly be considered not as terrible as other cornmeal-based dishes from a BSD perspective is that it doesn’t have a bunch of added sugar to make it even worse.

Aw, Theodora that’s nice 😊

We are finally, now the children don’t come in anymore, and now I am the smallest I’ve been since our wedding, upgrading to a Super King bed! Not that I am complaining! Lots of lovely white bed linen! My secret indulgence is to take our duvet cover to the dry cleaners for laundering so it comes back all smooth and lovely – even when I iron it myself I can’t get it that good. But I don’t think OH approves, if he gets there first it gets stuffed in the washing machine and left all crumpled after the dryer! I can’t bring myself to take the pillowcases or sheets – seems too decadent!

Also, our son is getting the spare bed double, and ours is going to the spare room, so when the hordes turn up at Xmas (not complaining, I love hosting, they do all the cooking and I buy the pretty decorations!) I just need to be sure we can host without asking them to bring stuff. Not that it matters, I just like being a generous host. My MIL always brings her own towels, which I find v odd – what is wrong with our towels?! I know nothing really, she is being kind, but it still seems weird to me.

Sons bed is a bunk one, with a slide. Now he’s 11 it’s a bit rickety, especially as he runs down the slide still, so I think the sooner we move it the better! This weekend if I can rally the troops.

Oh Sunnyb if Kefir helps move things along…maybe I shouldn’t have it. That is very rarely a problem for me…in fact quite the opposite!
Thanks for the calculations…
Mary
xxx

Thanks for that kimchi recipe, I’m thinking I’ll give it another try and this looks like a better recipe than I used last time.

I found kombucha easy enough to make, but much less pleasant than kefir to drink – it was either too sweet, or too acidic and vinegar-like. Just couldn’t seem to get it well enough balanced and I was concerned about the residual sugars as well. Keeping the scoby happy and alive wasn’t an issue, it was more that I wasn’t happy with the end product.

With regards to the kefir, I’ve made mine in both plastic and glass jars and it doesn’t seem to make any difference to the end product or to the health of the grains. I now have a collection of various sizes jars, which I use according to how much kefir I want to make. You can ferment kefir with the jar lidded or unlidded (covered with a cloth, coffee filter or similar and secured with an elastic band) and this does affect the acidity of the end product, as does the amount of time you ferment for and at what temperature. My kitchen is very warm as we have an Aga, so fermentation happens quickly.

I did some online research awhile ago and found a calculation of 96cals/3.2g carbs per 100g kefir made with full fat cows milk, but I have no idea how accurate that is – they’re the values I use for recording my intake though. I’m convinced kefir help my digestive system, which tends towards the sluggish and I think the kefir helps to improve transition.

Happy fermenting everyone!

Welcome, SJFritz1967, and well done on taking control of your health. You can do this – this forum is a testament to the fact that BSD800 works.

Stick with it and you WILL get results. Shout if you need any help, encouragement or support. There are so many helpful people on site and someone will be bound to come running to your assistance.

Tip one:- Keep drinking the water. Drink until you feel you really cannot need to drink any more, and then drink it all again!

Good luck.

Allie, if you are bringing a bottle of Chateau Margaux you’re definitely on!😋 We’ll do this weight stabilisation thing together.

Jackie, well done on resisting the biscuits, and glad the moment has passed. I have a feeling we would be mates too – not a great fan of housekeeping myself, though sadly it is a necessity! And I am thinking of treating myself to new bed linen too! If I was a billionaire, the first luxury I would DEFINITELY install into my life, is clean, freshly ironed sheets every single day, (obviously changed by someone else) – what luxury 😍 And gorgeous, brand new, sparkling white bed linen at least once a year! Sigh…….

Mary, we can just use the numbers on my jar of kimchi: 1/4 c. = 10cal. and
2gm. of carbs. A perfect food 🙂 !!!!

You are very welcome Allie.

xxxx

Mary, thank you SO MUCH for writing this out for me! I now know what I’ll
be doing over the long Thanksgiving weekend while o/h is watching American
football. You’ve answered all my questions, and I have a very good idea
what this will taste like. I’m really excited to try it! I’ve been paying a small
fortune for an excellent product but it will be great to make my own. I even
have fish sauce on hand. I’m off to print it out right now.
Thank you again, my sweet!

Allie

Hi all, no, they are always there – this batch has been there since last Saturday. She bakes all the time, this is the first time I’ve been tempted. Why? Who knows, maybe being a healthy weight makes it harder to remember why we do what we do.

Luckily I wrote to you guys instead, then cleaned out the linen cupboard and got rid of all the yellow pillowcases ready for Christmas. The moment has passed! I am going to have to find a better way of treating myself, although I do like buying new bed linen so there’s a treat to come … unless anyone knows a good way to get those whites sparkling again?! Maybe a pumice stone – that would certainly take up any spare time … (this is definitely a JOKE, I am not a great fan of housekeeping.)

Meanwhile, I am sure I bought Xmas duvet covers last year but can I find them? I can not!

Hi Again Allie, Sorry…didn’t answer everything…I haven’t calculated the carbs in the Kefir…I just go on the same ones that are in full fat milk. I haven’t done the Kimchi either. As I have been fasting and I know my evening meal is not 800 calories I presumed it would be ok. Perhaps I had better do that now. lol.

Mary
xxx

Haha, yes Theo, I’m all in. No time like the present! I’ll be arriving with a
good vintage of Chateau Margaux, one of my favorites 🙂

Hi Allie, the recipe I used is below.

How to Make Cabbage Kimchi
Makes 1 quart

What You Need
Ingredients
1 medium head (2 pounds) napa cabbage
1/4 cup sea salt or kosher salt (see Recipe Notes)
Water (see Recipe Notes)
1 tablespoon grated garlic (5 to 6 cloves)
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1 teaspoon sugar
2 to 3 tablepoons seafood flavor or water (optional, see Recipe Notes)
1 to 5 tablespoons Korean red pepper flakes (gochugaru)
8 ounces Korean radish or daikon, peeled and cut into matchsticks
4 scallions, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
Equipment
Cutting board and knife
Large bowl
Gloves (optional but highly recommended)
Plate and something to weigh the kimchi down, like a jar or can of beans
Colander
Small bowl
Clean 1-quart jar with canning lid or plastic lid
Bowl or plate to place under jar during fermentation
Instructions
Slice the cabbage: Cut the cabbage lengthwise into quarters and remove the cores. Cut each quarter crosswise into 2-inch-wide strips.

Salt the cabbage: Place the cabbage and salt in a large bowl. Using your hands (gloves optional), massage the salt into the cabbage until it starts to soften a bit, then add water to cover the cabbage. Put a plate on top and weigh it down with something heavy, like a jar or can of beans. Let stand for 1 to 2 hours.

Rinse and drain the cabbage: Rinse the cabbage under cold water 3 times and drain in a colander for 15 to 20 minutes. Rinse and dry the bowl you used for salting, and set it aside to use in step 5.

Make the paste: Meanwhile, combine the garlic, ginger, sugar, and seafood flavor (or 3 tablespoons water) in a small bowl and mix to form a smooth paste. Mix in the gochugaru, using 1 tablespoon for mild and up to 5 tablespoons for spicy (I like about 3 1/2 tablespoons).

Combine the vegetables and paste: Gently squeeze any remaining water from the cabbage and return it to the bowl along with the radish, scallions, and seasoning paste.

Mix thoroughly: Using your hands, gently work the paste into the vegetables until they are thoroughly coated. The gloves are optional here but highly recommended to protect your hands from stings, stains, and smells!

Pack the kimchi into the jar: Pack the kimchi into the jar, pressing down on it until the brine rises to cover the vegetables. Leave at least 1 inch of headspace. Seal the jar with the lid.

Let it ferment: Let the jar stand at room temperature for 1 to 5 days. You may see bubbles inside the jar and brine may seep out of the lid; place a bowl or plate under the jar to help catch any overflow.

Check it daily and refrigerate when ready: Check the kimchi once a day, pressing down on the vegetables with a clean finger or spoon to keep them submerged under the brine. (This also releases gases produced during fermentation.) Taste a little at this point, too! When the kimchi tastes ripe enough for your liking, transfer the jar to the refrigerator. You may eat it right away, but it’s best after another week or two.

Recipe Notes
Salt: Use salt that is free of iodine and anti-caking agents, which can inhibit fermentation.
Water: Chlorinated water can inhibit fermentation, so use spring, distilled, or filtered water if you can.
Seafood flavor and vegetarian alternatives: Seafood gives kimchi an umami flavor. Different regions and families may use fish sauce, salted shrimp paste, oysters, and other seafood. Use about 2 tablespoons of fish sauce, salted shrimp paste, or a combination of the two. For vegetarian kimchi, I like using 3/4 teaspoon kelp powder mixed with 3 tablespoons water, or simply 3 tablespoons of water.

Jackie, I think Allie is right – it’s because they are THERE. Get rid of them, get the kids to eat them, feed them to the dog, whatever, just don’t eat them! Have a glass of water instead😝

Allie, I’m liking the sound of that, too. I’m sure we would be great pals (but may lead each other astray, somewhat😜) in the flesh as well as in the ether, given the chance. I don’t need much excuse to open a bottle and have a giggle with friends! We are exceedingly lucky inasmuch as we have a summer house and a winter house, so atm you can imagine yourself snuggled up in my winter sitting room, in front of my log fire, glass in hand, bsd measured snacks to your left, rest of bottle to your right, just so you don’t have to wait until Hotel Theodora opens it’s doors again next summer😋

Hey, Mare! I guess my jars are too big for kefir production. I have some clamp
top jars in a smaller size though…..Do you know how to count the cals. and
carbs for a homemade product? Also, what type of heat do you add to your
homemade kimchi, and how long does it take to ferment? I really like the
product that I order from Gold Mine foods here in the States. Raw, organic,
and contains napa cabbage, sea salt, carrot, scallion, garlic, ginger, cayenne
pepper and chili pepper. What do you use in yours, my friend?

I was diagnosed in 2000 as Type 2. I’m overweight, but not grotesquely so. Family history of Type 2. Had a heart attack in 2010 (widow maker artery) at age 43. (Lucky to be here, and did NO damage to my heart fortunately!) No heart episodes since. I’ve lived in denial for 17 years, with moments of getting everything under control… only to revert back to my old ways. I just turned 50 years old and I am tired of being a human yo-yo. The time has come. And so here I am… listening to the Blood Sugar Diet Book… and joining the forum. I plan to give this diet a go. I am fortunate to be fairly fit and healthy regardless of living in diabetic denial… so now is the time. My goal is 40 pounds… which would put me at 190. If I can get more pounds off than that, great.

Jackie, do you think it’s just because you know the biscuits are THERE?
How about locking them in the trunk of your car today? 🙂 🙂 🙂 ’til the craving
passes….Some days things just sing to us – we have to get them out of the house!
Be strong, for all of us!

Hi Haylie, that’s brilliant – I’m glad it works.
SSB

I want a biscuit!!!!!

Why do I I haven’t had one for 4 months. I haven’t had anything carby, I am not hungry I’ve just had loads of heavily seasoned (salt and pepper) butter fried chicken and rocket salad (yum!)

I don’t even want a sweet thing, I just had my chocolate quota and it wasn’t all that. I think I’m just wanting something that feels like a treat. And there’s my daughters home made ginger biscuits sitting there. Aaaaaaargh.

Clearly I am not going to have the flipping biscuits. Just bamboozled by craving – haven’t craved anything for ages! Maybe it’s the time of month on its way …. I’ll go and tidy the linen cupboard instead 🙁

Wow Outlander 51g of carbs, that is a heck of a lot. I wont be making that any time soon.

In case you’re still looking for an alternative: I use YAZIO and have only made good experiences with the calories/carbs – so far they’ve always been accurate. This is the link to their website: https://www.yazio.com/en/calorie-counter

Hi SaltySeaBird,

just wanted to let you know that I tried your technique a few times and it works quite well for me! The only time it didn’t work was when I was actually really hungry and didn’t only have cravings. But the other times it really helped a lot. I was actually quite I amazed because I didn’t really believe it would help. I did it with chocolate cake and also with chips and it worked for both. Thank you for the tip – would have never thought of it myself!

Can I jump in here? I make my own Kefir and my own Kimchi. My question is how much am I supposed to take?

Just as a by the by….I make mine in Kilner Jars…jars with a lid on…although you don’t need a lid for the kefir…you do with the Kimchi. I make approx three quarters of a pint of Kefir. I drink an eighth pint a day. Then make up a new batch. Just started eating the Kimchi. Not sure if my gut flora is improving as I am on the loo a lot…could be my tummy getter better? Effin well hope so…scuse the french lol.

You are wonderful peoples…

Nonna Mary
xxxx

@ddraig_goch: Your thoughts sound really encouraging! I will keep that in mind the next time I weigh myself, because I usually feel discouraged when the weight stands still. But no change is also better than gaining weight!

Luvtcook – I’ve been saving the glass jars that my kimchi comes in. Could
that work for you? I definitely like the idea of making my own kefir too. The
jars are 32 oz. though. Is that too large,Sunny?
Thanks!

Yes, Theo! I’m an essentially a social creature, so I will imagine us sitting
outside on a warm summer’s day at your Hospitality Hotel, lazing about
in the sun, laughing ourselves silly, with a nice bottle of red in front of us.
Perhaps a few BSD friendly snacks (weighed and measured, of course) to
keep us company? Yes, I like the sound of that! 🙂 🙂 🙂

SunnyB, thanks for your thoughts on the kefir and kombucha because they pretty much confirmed my initial thoughts….kefir my best bet as it is so easy and I drink at least a quart a week regularly. Kombucha sounded intriguing but probably too much trouble to keep a scoby alive and happy for the limited amount I would drink. I understood that the sugar goes down the longer you ferment it, but that just adds one more degree of fuss to time it just right.

Thumbs up on the homemade kefir and will take a pass on the kombucha for now at least.

One last questions: I have a lot of saved plastic quart bottles from my store bought kefir. Do you find your kefir fussy about what you make it in? Kefir website I was reading recommended glass jars, which I would have to buy. If I can recyle and use the plastic bottles that would be lovely. Please advise. LuvTC

S-g saw a he doctor this morning and yes she was both surprised and pleased. She kept checking the computer to find my medication but there isn’t any!! They will all get the message in the end. I’m really looking forward to the next batch of results from the current research. Have a good w/e.

Luvtcook I don’t think we can easily get hold of liquid smoke but a little extra paprika does the trick, just have to add it to taste. Also the garlic is probably fine but I just don’t like garlic in soup, great in other dishes just not in soup for me!

@californiagirl, I’m totally with you when you say that it seems like everything causes cancer! I think as long as you eat balanced then everything is fine – also alcohol, sugar, meat and everything else that’s debated all the time. It’s just that some people consume huge amounts of it and don’t include vegetables and fruits in their daily meals.

Good morning, everyone! I’ve been off thread since early yesterday evening,
but I’m happy to see new friends paying us a visit 🙂

Kazz, we missed you here this week, but I’m happy that you feel that you
have recharged your batteries. Kazzi is a really talented self taught watercolorist!
I was lucky to see one of her paintings from beautiful Cornwall. Now I’m hoping
for a selfie to go with it 🙂 Really glad that you enjoyed your feast, even if the
scale registered +2lbs. That’s how it went for me, too, whenever I made a
mindful decision to enjoy a holiday with a glass or 3. Flush it with lots of
water today, and everything will be fine. You’ll be back on track in no time.

Mary, sorry that damn black dog is nosing around your house! It’s been
awhile since she’s paid you a visit, though, right? (I know she is a bitch)
You always do an excellent job of kicking her to the curb, so do the same
today. What you go thru with the psoriasis sounds so miserable. I’m
wondering if there are any new clinical trials going on over here that produce
new drugs that may not be available to you thru NHS. I’d be very happy to
do some research for you if you like. My brother in law serves on numerous
corporate boards, being in the biotech industry. I don’t know if he’s out
of the country at the moment, but he may know someone who knows someone
who knows someone. When jim was diagnosed with heart failure and initially
told he was neither a candidate for coronary bypass or stenting, Gus was on
the phone to the top cardiac hospital in the country, the Cleveland Clinic, and
had one of the top interventionalist cardiologists in the world vetted for us,
and that was the guy that performed the stenting proedures. He just
happened to be spending 1-2 days a month at the hospital we prefer to use
here in Connecticut. He is from Milan, so it was a really luck break for us.
Gus is an enormously successful guy in the biotech field, but to me is he just
one of my closest friends, a very genuine person, and was there for me in
every sense of the word during jim’s hospitalization. He called me every day,
twice a day, for those 3 weeks, whether or not he was in the UK, Cuba or
Japan. Have a think on it, okay?

Have a great weekend, my lovelies!

Allie
xoxoxo

Nonna Mary, you are an amazing woman. Don’t know that I could maintain such a positive attitude and deal with everything you currently are coping with.

You are definately a glass half full person, and I admire that tremendously. Hats off ta ye.