Ioanna's Journal

[Ioanna]

okay, so i got a bunch of organs (heart, liver, kidney, pancreas, thymus, spleen). i just put them all in my fridge, smelling them all on the way      liver is not as scary as it was when i first started eating raf.  kidney, i don't think i'm gonna like that one    heart smells so strong, well i guess they all do.  i'm going to try to make a mix like my farmer does, but try to make it with the organ/flavor i like if i can figure it out.

organs are easier to eat when i can't see them all ground up with muscle meat, but i'm looking forward to finding out which i like and how they affect me. 

[Ioanna]

it's the sweetbreads that i love so much! now i understand why the pet food mix was orange instead of deep red when i really liked it.  liver is neutral to me.  kidney is smokey and very strong.. it's too much.  heart is strong to me too, so i'll just use a little bit at a time.  spleen seems pretty neutral too, at least by 'smell' test.

brain wasn't an option.. actually, i didn't ask, it just wasn't on the list.  tongue.. i wimped out on even buying that one, but maybe next time 

[laterade]

brain wasn't an option.. actually, i didn't ask, it just wasn't on the list.  tongue.. i wimped out on even buying that one, but maybe next time 

Brain most likely won't be an option unless you buy the whole head.
Where I am, they are scared of "mad cow". How can a mad cow hurt me if it is dead? lol
Still they will not crack it open, I must do it myself.
Totally worth it. The tongue (  ) is delicious too.

[wodgina]

Tongue is the best...ever...very tasty Except when the ox tongue slime makes my spit coagulate err gross. I think I'm the exception tho.

[Ioanna]

oh, i'd try brain, but no way i'm bringing home a whole head to crack.. i can hardly crack open a coconut... one of these a caveman is gonna feed me right

ok, i'll try tongue next time for sure. 

i have to say, though, eating pet food is wwwaaaayyyy easier!... i prefer to eat an undiscernible, slightly flavored ground mix 

but, brains and tongue are not in the pet food, so i'll still try them one of these days...

[Ioanna]

well... maybe just not from ox 

[djr_81]

oh, i'd try brain, but no way i'm bringing home a whole head to crack.. i can hardly crack open a coconut... one of these a caveman is gonna feed me right

ok, i'll try tongue next time for sure. 

i have to say, though, eating pet food is wwwaaaayyyy easier!... i prefer to eat an undiscernible, slightly flavored ground mix 

but, brains and tongue are not in the pet food, so i'll still try them one of these days...

This is not the Ioanna from a couple months ago. Big strides in a short time. Proud of you for building up the courage to try them.

[alycia]

Ioanna,
I've been reading your journal 
thank you for having one!!

Do you add fat back into your meat (butter, oil, marrow?) or just eat it as is and buy a cut that has a particular % of fat to it?  what % of fat is in the meat you buy typically?

So you only eat red meats correct?  You said fish does not work for you - in what regard?  I have been experimenting and finding that lamb is very satisfying while when i eat fish i get hungry very soon after   

[Ioanna]

This is not the Ioanna from a couple months ago. Big strides in a short time. Proud of you for building up the courage to try them.

   I was able to get a tongue recently and it's been sitting in my freezer waiting for a brave moment.  It's just so big!

Ioanna,
I've been reading your journal 
thank you for having one!!

Do you add fat back into your meat (butter, oil, marrow?) or just eat it as is and buy a cut that has a particular % of fat to it?  what % of fat is in the meat you buy typically?

So you only eat red meats correct?  You said fish does not work for you - in what regard?  I have been experimenting and finding that lamb is very satisfying while when i eat fish i get hungry very soon after   

thanks, alycia! 

i mostly eat red meat, and mostly bison and lamb.   i can't remember what i wrote in the beginning, but fish does work for me now.  it just goes through me a little faster. so i've been really trying to incorporate more variety these days with red meats, seafood, and organs.   

yes, i've noticed that too!!.. red meat is so satisfying so quickly, but when i eat fish sometimes i just feel like i haven't eaten real food yet until i eat something red.  no idea why, and i wonder how chicken would feel in that regard. 

percent fat that works best for me tends to be around 65-70%.  i buy meat in bulk from my farmer.  i just get the cheaper cuts (which tend to be fatty) and ground meat, etc.  i like marrow and back fat, but i don't use any oils nor dairy (butter).  they just don't feel good for me.  i don't measure my food, and i don't count my calories.  (i'm an extremely analytical person, and once i start measuring i'll drive myself crazy with calculations.)  so, i don't add fat for the sake of meeting a percentage, but if i want it that particular day i might eat a lot of it.  and i don't eat the same calories every day.  lately i've been eating one meal around 4pm.  i just eat what i feel like in terms of fat % and amount.  re amount - i eat the smallest amount that makes me feel satisfied. some days that's a lot, and some it's a little.    then i go work out soon after

[alycia]

percent fat that works best for me tends to be around 65-70%.  i buy meat in bulk from my farmer.  i just get the cheaper cuts (which tend to be fatty) and ground meat, etc.  i like marrow and back fat, but i don't use any oils nor dairy (butter).  they just don't feel good for me.


Ioanna - do you know how helpful that is to me
Seriously the little we have chatted has really been a Large help for me to see how i can make this work without having to figure out "okay so how much fat do i need to add to this meat per ounce to get what i need ect..."
Just buy fatty meat that may disclose the % of fat in the serving sizes

Why do you find that high of a % of fat helpful over more protein?  
Based on what i have read it usually is to prevent constipation from a high meat diet?  Does it also help you digest meat better having a higher fat?


lately i've been eating one meal around 4pm.

What advantage do you find in only 1 meal a day?  

I juice currently and have 2 meals a day only one being meat one being fruit or veg.  I also have ben adding easy to digest veg. (onion, tomato, cucumber, zucchini) to my meat meal. Yet this may be leading to all the gas i have been getting, maybe combo is not so good and should just eat meat alone?
I still am not sure how i would do with only meat?   I'm afraid i would eat a lot of meat to fill my tummy (which is not overweight by the way but i can eat!) then get sick from only having a lot of meat sitting in my stomach.  Did you ever experience that in the beginning with the only meat meals?

Thank you for sharing
    

[Ioanna]

Why do you find that high of a % of fat helpful over more protein?

hmmmm, because in the way beginning (after reading av, but before finding this forum) i would eat the lean meat and dip the pieces into egg yolk.  i guess wanting fat with my meat was intuitive, and the amounts of each would be about the same.  so, i looked up on fitday to say what i was eating, and that was the approx percentage.  though i do not eat egg yolks as much  anymore (i'd love to!, but they go thru me too fast  )  i just substitute the approx same amt fat and that amount still feels best.  too much fat and my food goes thru me, too much protein and my energy just isn't right. anymore protein and i'd feel like i overate, yet still hungry for something.

Based on what i have read it usually is to prevent constipation from a high meat diet?

i have to laugh.. while probably true for most, i would welcome anything constipating 

Does it also help you digest meat better having a higher fat?

my digestion is great whether i eat just lean looking meat or a 'regular' fat day or a high-fat day, so i'm not sure the fat is necessarily helping, though i know if i eat too much fat on  a given day that my digestion will be not-so-good.  this probably relates to your constipation question, but i'm soooo not constipated that i don't feel i need fat for that. it's about feeling satisfied and energized for me.   

What advantage do you find in only 1 meal a day?

it just feels good - during the day i'm not hungry, but my stomach is empty and i like that feeling for getting through the high demands of my day and/or a morning workout. i think digestive energy is underrated. just feels better to eat when i'm not stressed, not thinking about a million other things i have to do.

also it's just so much simpler

the only other eating pattern i really like is two small meals: one in the morning after a workout, the other around 2pm.  sometimes i do this on the weekends.  i like having the long fasted time before bed.

I'm afraid i would eat a lot of meat to fill my tummy (which is not overweight by the way but i can eat!) then get sick from only having a lot of meat sitting in my stomach.  Did you ever experience that in the beginning with the only meat meals?

well, in the beginning i had to overcome initial fears of eating raw meat, lol, so i was making sure to eat enough and definitely not eating too much then.  if i eat too much of a great thing, my digestion is off, so learn to listen to my body for that too. 

hope this helps! as you continue on, you'll find more of what does(n't) work for you, and even that can change. listen and trust your body over your mind!   

[alycia]

Thank you for your response above to my fat questions 

I had 1/2 pound of organic lamb mixed with grassfed beef last night and feel really sick today 
But I had a lot of energy after my meal last night.  Think it caught up to me today.  Yet i can see how that heavy of a food can keep you well off until the next afternoon. 

yes, i've noticed that too!!.. red meat is so satisfying so quickly, but when i eat fish sometimes i just feel like i haven't eaten real food yet until i eat something red.  no idea why, and i wonder how chicken would feel in that regard. 

I just wanted to let you know i have pasture raised organic chicken that i am going to try 
But i am not brave enough to have it as is - i am going to make it like ceviche.  the recipes i have found online say to marinate in lemon juice for 3 days. 
I really hope this does not result in the same digestion i had with cooked chicken  was not good at all.
I will let you know how it goes, but it will be several days before it is ready.
alycia

[Ioanna]

i cannot digest cooked chicken either, so i will trust greatly in your raw chicken ceviche experiment 

gs gave me the idea a while back to rub the chicken with salt to get rid of the 'slimy' texture, then remove the salt. if i were to try chicken raw i'd do it this way. 

keep me posted! 

[laterade]

No salt for you at all Ioanna?

[Ioanna]

No salt for you at all Ioanna?

oh, well, i don't really have a strong opinion about salt use. i just don't really have a taste for it.  i used a lot initially to help adjust to raw meat, but don't really bother with it anymore. 

[Ioanna]

I know this has been discussed before, but looking for suggestions to increase vitamin D.  Annual blood work shows that mine is quite low.  I've been indoors since November, but I was hoping diet would help in this regard.  Should I just wait for the sun to come out since that should be (literally) tomorrow?, or should I do something more?

Thanks, all!

[wodgina]

I feel best when I spend a lot of time in the sun. I think 20 minutes or an hour is just not enough some times of the year. In early spring I would go for 3 to 4 hours.

[Ioanna]

i'd have to build up to the 3-4 hours.  I'm capable of getting dark, but in the beginning I'm capable of getting really red!  I'm so pale right now   I don't think I've ever had blood tests at the end of summer. Maybe I'll just see what some sunshine can do.

[djr_81]

i'd have to build up to the 3-4 hours.  I'm capable of getting dark, but in the beginning I'm capable of getting really red!  I'm so pale right now   I don't think I've ever had blood tests at the end of summer. Maybe I'll just see what some sunshine can do.

I'm the same way.
Spent almost the entire weekend outside last week. We had an Easter egg hunt for all of my nieces and nephews on Saturday then spent the day gardening on Sunday. Got nice and red from it but it changed into a light tan very quickly (2-3 days) and my tolerance is up now. A couple more weekends like that and I will actually have a tan. You might have the same experience.

[Ioanna]

my first taste of raw chicken!  i sorta feel the way i did when i took my first ever bite of raw meat... waiting for something to happen, but not feeling anything impending     i ate two drumsticks that i put in the dehydrator for about 30min to dry out the outside a little.  it tasted so good!!!

the chicken came from my favorite farm out here, so i trust it.  and this may be a good experiment as i know that cooked chicken will make me VERY ill.  the only thing is that the cooked chicken on one occasion has come from a farm, another is 'organic' from wf.

i've also been eating raw honey.  i have no idea what encourages me to experiment sometimes because some brands of honey (not raw) have made me quite sick in the past.  but the raw honey i have now i think is even helping me digest, tho i have no proof to say for sure, it's just how i feel. 

wo carbs i have energy, but need to drink tons of water.  of course i don't like this because there's too much water in my belly when i'm trying to workout, and then i'm up all night going to the bathroom.  this makes me think that despite being zc for so long, i was never really fat adapted?  idk. but, probably i've been eating a few tablespoons (started with 1/2 teaspoon and built up just incase my body didn't like it), and i can work out with what i consider to be a more normal water intake.  so, i think i feel better with the carbs.

i also have this idea that eating some carbs is going to be good for building my good kind of carb (plant) digesting gut flora which seems to be the reason i couldn't digest anything in the first place.

i had tests done and i don't digest much of the fat i eat. consequently my vitamin counts are extremely low, also confirmed by blood test.  i don't feel like this is something i need to change (supplements) right away because i feel fine, but something to work toward. any ideas for better fat digestion? 

the sun is out, the days are long, and i'm so happy!    

[sabertooth]

Did you ever get to try some lamb fat? to see if it digested better.

[p0wer]

i also have this idea that eating some carbs is going to be good for building my good kind of carb (plant) digesting gut flora which seems to be the reason i couldn't digest anything in the first place.

You could focus on plants which contain significant amounts of fructooligosaccharide, fiber which is known to feed the good gut bacteria, i.e. it's prebiotic.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fructooligosaccharide#Food_sources

[PaleoPhil]

...i don't digest much of the fat i eat. consequently my vitamin counts are extremely low....

Which vitamins? Do you mean the fat soluble vitamins? Ironically, Don Matesz has been arguing recently that fats are poor sources of vitamins, so I suppose that from his perspective poor digestion of fats wouldn't lead to much in the way of vitamin deficiencies, but I know that animal fats are supposed to help with absorption of fat-soluble vitamins.

[laterade]

I'm not really sure precisely how his approach has shifted.  He eats a lot of cooked food, but I do trust his sincerity.
Next weekend I hope to discuss this with him. Perhaps I will be able to expound on his view from my raw perspective.
I couldn't resist the pun  

[Ioanna]

Did you ever get to try some lamb fat? to see if it digested better.

hi sabertooth, thanks for asking!.. i finally did, and just tried some today. i was thinking of you when i ate because (minus the coconut butter) it was a very sabertoothesque looking meal

You could focus on plants which contain significant amounts of fructooligosaccharide, fiber which is known to feed the good gut bacteria, i.e. it's prebiotic.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fructooligosaccharide#Food_sources

thanks p0wer! i did try these in the past, but none of these food were good for me.  maybe i'll try again.. soon-ish..

Which vitamins? Do you mean the fat soluble vitamins? Ironically, Don Matesz has been arguing recently that fats are poor sources of vitamins, so I suppose that from his perspective poor digestion of fats wouldn't lead to much in the way of vitamin deficiencies, but I know that animal fats are supposed to help with absorption of fat-soluble vitamins.

hmmmmm, my vitamin d was super low, everything else was low, but in normal range.  my doctor (he's mostly cool  ) suggested that if my fat digestion were better that my vitamin levels would improve.  so instead of supplementing, i wanted to work on the fat part.  then again, when i had the tests done i had been indoors for about the fourth consecutive month   i'm sure that has a lot to do with it.  i was hoping that my diet would make up for the lack of sun thru winter months, i guess this was not good thinking. 

I'm not really sure precisely how his approach has shifted.  He eats a lot of cooked food, but I do trust his sincerity.
Next weekend I hope to discuss this with him. Perhaps I will be able to expound on his view from my raw perspective.
I couldn't resist the pun 

report back! what does he say about plant fats?.. they can store micro-nutrients, but not animal fats?