Milk, Milk, the Magical… fat?? July 30, 2011

The other day I met a really cool gal and we were talking and some how got on the subject of raw milk. Not too surprising since Ben and I and most of our friends love it! Anyway, she found it fascinating and to try some and I thought, ‘hmm, maybe people just haven’t heard about it and love to try it!’. I know I have talked about this on Facebook before, but I thought I would share on my blog some info. and good sources to check out.

It is SO delicious and creamy and fulfilling and wonderful and healthy! I know people who have been EXTREMELY lactose intolerant, but after drinking raw milk had NO side effects!! (except for feeling good and happy) It is full of good fats (the kind that builds our brains) as well as protein and enzymes. I have had lots of people say to me, “Yeah, well if it wasn’t so fattening I would probably try it, but I need to lose weight.” Ok people, here is some slightly embarrassing news that should ease your minds… Ben and I go through SEVEN gallons of milk per week! And I’m happy to report that neither of us weigh 500 pounds… or even 200 pounds for that matter. I’m not saying that everyone should drink that much, but if you feel like it is good for you and you want to— go for it! Also, living in Kansas is the best because you can get it in these parts for only $2.50!! Even cheaper than the milk that sucks nutrients out of your body! (Can you believe we pay for that to happen?)

The main reason pasteurized milk is no good is because they also homogenize it. This process depletes the part of the milk that contains the enzymes that lets our bodies digest it properly. Then, because it also kills all of the vitamins and minerals they try to put the vit./min. back in by using sources that our bodies can’t even recognize anyway! (For example, getting calcium from shellfish… yes shellfish contains calcium, but our bodies can’t recognize shellfish shell as food and therefore does not absorb.) Why would they do all of this you ask? Well, the main reason they homogenize is so that the cream won’t separate from the rest (which is what it naturally does) and then it can be mass produced and sit in a store for awhile.

Raw milk (bought locally of course) can last for a couple weeks before tasting funky (or what I like to call ‘cowy’) and even then you can turn it into cream cheese and whey or cheese or yogurt! It gave me and my baby great nutrients while I was pregnant and took away that terrible heartburn. So, if you think you want to check this out some more, www.rawmilkfacts.com is an excellent source of information. I also make yogurt and cheeses and stuff with my milk, so be sure to keep an eye out for my recipe posts!!

Love, Alisha

Look at that beautiful raw-milk-grown face!! 🙂

oh my gosh, I’m running… July 25, 2011

Any of you who know me pretty well may have experienced these words exiting my mouth, “I despise running with all of my being.” This is a little bit of an issue in our home because Ben loves running and wants to run with me… He has tried many times to get me to run “just six little steps!” and I stubbornly refuse. This does not go over well (and both being a first born doesn’t help the situation). But this is not without good reasoning, you see, I have an injury still because of middle school track, which is also when asthma started to plague me. (The asthma is now gone, but that is a whole other story.) See, I told you there was perfectly good reasoning.

Then one day Ben starts reading this book called Born to Run by Christopher McDougall and becomes even MORE obsessed with running… *barf*. He tells me I should read it and I smile sweetly and say, “Ok.” with a tone that says “Yeah, right. I am not even touching that book.” Then one day the subtitle catches my eye: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen. Ok, Ben’s not around, maybe I’ll just check out the first couple pages… famous last words, right? 120 pages later guess what I’m doing? Barefoot running! Yeah, apparently that’s all the hype right now, but I didn’t know anything about it until this book. And, get ready… I actually liked it!! Amazing, I know. But I tried it how they describe it and it felt good and I wasn’t panting like a black Alaskan Malamute in a Texas heat wave! It was beautiful!

Now Ben and I are learning about all of these wonderful facts on the incredible human body and re-defining how we think about shoes and feet (all with calves that are cursing me, but I know that in the end, they will be oh-so-beautiful). It’s so fascinating. So, if you want, you should check out this book and barefoot running. And for me to be recommending any of this should be proof enough that this is really awesome. 🙂

Love, Alisha

P.S. Wait until the path is under 100 degrees before trying…