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Messages - djr_81

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151
General Discussion / Re: Interesting Find
« on: August 13, 2011, 05:03:26 am »
He's the farmer referenced in Pollan's Omnivore Dilemma when speaking about sustainable small organic. Polyface has been a big inspiration/motivation to other small organic outfits as a result. The book helped bring the idea of rotational farming back to the forefront of progressive sustainable thinking on a larger scale.

I wanted to visit Polyface in the worst way after reading the book. I lucked out in that the farm I buy from has taken many of these ideas and modified/innovated to suit their specific situation. It's something else to see the simplicity yet efficiency at work when a farm is set up right. :)

152
Hot Topics / Re: Indoor Grow
« on: August 13, 2011, 02:11:07 am »
I set up one of my outdoor ponds similar to that Dorothy. It's a ~3,000 gallon bottom basin fed from a 3800gph pump into a two-stage filtration system. There's a top basin holding ~400 gallons of water which is set up with lily pads and free-floating highly efficient plants (water lettuce & water hyacinth) that gets ~1000gph. There is a middle basin as well which is fed from piping below up through pea gravel which gets the other 28ppgph. The pea gravel provides some mechanical filtration of any larger solids that might come through and there are plants planted in the pea gravel which take up the nutrients. I've got lots of aquatics planted in the pea gravel (Louisiana Iris, Cattails, Rushes) but have other edible plants growing as well. Mint grows incredibly well in water but is even more invasive than on land. I planted a scallion from the farmer's market almost a year and a half ago and it's stayed very healthy the whole time. I also went against "conventional" wisdom online and tried strawberries this year and they grew fine but once the fruit touches water it spoils quickly.

I have koi, goldfish, minnows (mostly fatheads), creek chub, trout, and darters in the lower pond. We've also got a bunch of resident turtles and frogs so sometimes there's an increased bioload from these guys on the "filter".

Links on the general idea for filters like this:
http://www.bogfiltration.com/bogfiltration.html
http://stillwatergardensnw.com/BogFilter.aspx

153
Journals / Re: Ramblings of a madman...
« on: August 09, 2011, 06:16:54 am »
I wanted to share that my wife has been slowly moving towards a mixed paleo diet as she determines what foods cause her problems and which she does well with. At the moment she is eating ~90% carnivore; mostly truly pastured chicken and ground beef from the farm we frequent as well as wild fish (tuna and swordfish are her favorites). She does have some fruits and vegetables but has pulled back on these as she's trying to figure out which work well for her.
We also began exercising together. We started with bike rides on a local trail which has gentle inclines/declines and have ridden ~18 miles on our longest ride. We also ride on the road which is much more strenuous (6 mile cap so far) and have begun to run in the mornings (~3/4 of a mile of running at most so far).
She has in total lost roughly 50 pounds since changing up her diet and adding in the exercise. She's also so much happier and confident which is wonderful to see. The best part is, as many of you know, that feeling really good is great incentive to keep it all up. I'm proud of her. :)

PS-She tried on her wedding dress again last night (we got married roughly 3 years ago). Not only did it fit without a corset like she had at the wedding but she was swimming in the extra material. ;D

154
General Discussion / Re: I just ate my first steak in 20 years - what should I expect?
« on: July 30, 2011, 02:10:16 am »
Quote from: Dorothy on July 29, 2011, 05:13:17 am
I wanted to ask you about your allergies Dan. What kinds of allergies do you have? My husband suffers horribly from allergies and if I could find others who have been helped with allergies to pollens and such that would help me a great deal in making this whole thing more appealing to him. I have gotten him raw local honey - but it doesn't help all that much.

Both environmental and food based.
I have particular issues with pet dander, mold, and dust environmentally. I used to have really bad seasonal allergies to pollen but this has been greatly diminished since going RAF.
On the food front it really runs the gamut. The last blood testing that was done (and which I can attest is fairly accurate with how my body reacts to the foods) showed positive allergic responses to many fruits and vegetables, all nuts tested, all grains/cereals tested, all shellfish tested, and some fish I think. Also had a bunch of herbs identified. I'm so sensitive to corn in particular that I have issues with meat from an animal with it in it's diet (even so far as deer who forage off of farms when corn is in season will effect me). The only time I have issues with my food is when I "cheat" with fresh fruit or vegetables (I have Candida which flares if I ingest too many carbs hence my diet which is very low carb).

155
General Discussion / Re: I just ate my first steak in 20 years - what should I expect?
« on: July 28, 2011, 05:43:58 am »
Welcome to the forum Dorothy. It sounds like you're following a very sensible course with how you're transitioning into eating meat (and raw). It sounds like your husband is making progress as well. With a good head on your shoulders I'm sure you'll do fine. :)

I eat a diet of ground (single pass I think; it's still very coarse) grass-fed/finished meat and suet from a semi-local farmer here in New York. I buy the ground meat as I'me eating at least 2 pounds a day and at $5 a pound it's about the limits of what I can afford for myself. I throw some organs in here and there if I've got a hankering. I do treat myself to the occasional treat of brisket (tasty, tasty fat cap on those  :D) but have to be conscious about not spending too much.
One of the best parts for me in the beginning was visiting the farm and seeing just how contented the animals are. A lot of people are disconnected with the food chain but eating meat and animals not suffering do not need to be mutually exclusive.

I did not come to this way of eating by way of ideals nor recovery from deficiencies. I started raw as I was backed into a corner with my food allergies and things just kept getting bleaker and bleaker. That said I've been eating RAF for 2 years now and I have never felt healthier in my life. I wish you and your husband the same fortune with it. :)

156
Journals / Re: Ramblings of a madman...
« on: June 14, 2011, 04:01:11 am »
Had my first testicle yesterday. The farm sent one of it's stud bulls off to slaughter after a long life and they asked me if I wanted one (they ate the other). We picked up our food on Saturday and I had a 1 1/2 pound testicle waiting for me.
Let me preface this by saying if the look/feel of tongue puts you off from eating it testicles aren't going to be a treat. I'll eat most anything at this point and I was still a bit taken aback.
I cut the ends off so there was just the meaty center left. Next I peeled the out skin off the inner meat. When finished I had close to a pound of meat left. It's weird looking stuff; looks a lot like chicken (a bit darker) but feels like a scallop. Smells kind of gamey and has some of that in the taste. It's kind of like liver in texture when eaten. I wasn't a huge fan but it was a fun experience. My wife had a bite too.
FWIW I saw them eat cow udder on a TV show (Bizarre Foods) so asked the farm to see about securing an udder with their next slaughter. We'll see if they can. :)

157
Carnivorous / Zero Carb Approach / Re: Are larger chicken eggs cruel, less tasty and less nutritious?
« on: June 14, 2011, 03:53:55 am »
Quote from: PaleoPhil on June 12, 2011, 12:35:02 am
"...according the egg guru Moses Wolfe of Petaluma Farms in Petaluma, California.  If you’re looking for eggs with the best taste and the lightest texture, those would be pullet eggs, laid by hens less than 1 year old.
The very best qualities are those laid before the young chick reaches the ripe old age of 31 weeks.  Because the bird is young, the eggs are smaller than those laid by the 1-2 year-olds.  They may be pee wee, small, medium, or large eggs, but not extra-large or jumbo.  These eggs not only taste great but make soufflés rise higher and omelets come out fluffier.  Jumbo eggs are from older hens. These eggs, Wolfe explains, “age more quickly, losing quality, taste, nutritional value and recipe performance."

If I want large eggs I tend to buy duck eggs (or goose eggs, when they're available). Duck eggs are my favorite eggs taste-wise so far, I think, and they are supposedly richer in omega 3 FAs and nutrients than chicken eggs.

Pullet eggs have the same amount of yolk but less white. This is why they taste better and work better in dishes you want to rise (like a souffle). Duck eggs are a richer yolk as well. IMO these people are craving easily assimilated sources of animal fats and egg yolks are a great place to get this.

158
Carnivorous / Zero Carb Approach / Re: Salt, Do you eat it? How much?
« on: June 14, 2011, 03:49:31 am »
I dash a bit of sea salt on my meat. I do seem to do better with a bit in my diet (it must be a scant 1/4 teaspoon on the heaviest days). I'm RZC.

159
Journals / Re: Max's Journal
« on: May 07, 2011, 01:13:43 am »
Quote from: Max on May 06, 2011, 03:02:09 am
I had some heart meat yesterday.  It tasted fine.  Did I adapt that fast?

The first heart I had was from Slankers.  I thawed it out, and I didn't like it too much.  The second heart I had was from a side of beef that I got a while ago.  That heart tasted fine, I liked it much better.  Both hearts were grassfed and they looked comparable.  Any thoughts?
I noted the same with meat from Slankers and my local supplier. Just buy what you enjoy. :)

160
Journals / Re: Ioanna's Journal
« on: May 07, 2011, 01:11:10 am »
Quote from: Ioanna on May 06, 2011, 10:40:49 am
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.

161
Journals / Re: Ramblings of a madman...
« on: April 21, 2011, 01:09:08 am »
Oh, I feel much better today than yesterday. RPD is definitely helping me bounce back quicker than I would have.

162
Journals / Re: Ramblings of a madman...
« on: April 21, 2011, 01:07:21 am »
Quote from: wodgina on April 20, 2011, 06:23:01 am
Part of my job is mould testing, I would definitely be fully suited up with coveralls, gloves, respirator and then attack with white vinegar once panelling is removed.

Black mould is no joke. It makes me really ill. You also have to worry about VOC's produced by the mould. So if it's really bad have a respirator with an organics cartridge.



That's what I wore for the rest of the removal. I sprayed it down with a bleach based spray a removed it when thoroughly wet so I didn't release more spores. Not sure if the respirator had an organics cartridge but it worked great.

The walls are fixed, floor tiles are all ripped up and changed, all we've got left is to prime and paint. :)

163
Carnivorous / Zero Carb Approach / Re: Zero Carb and Menstruation
« on: April 20, 2011, 01:06:05 am »
Quote from: Josh on April 17, 2011, 09:28:58 pm
Some people say the human mating season was when fruits arrived on the trees. No idea if that could be accurate.
It sort of makes sense. Spring is when there is the highest abundance of easily obtained nutrition and hence when most (all?) animals conceive. Some species may have multiple broods of offspring throughout the spring, summer, and early fall but it all starts in spring.
Unfortunately our gestation period is so long that conception in early spring would mean delivery in late fall or winter which seems counter intuitive to survival of the young.

164
Journals / Re: Ramblings of a madman...
« on: April 20, 2011, 12:52:08 am »
Pro-Tip: Avoid black mold like the plague if you suspect you have any fungal issues.
We had the pump for the house leak (loose pet-cock) unnoticed for a couple days which resulted in water damage in our bathroom. When removing the paneling on a couple walls at the shower to find the extent I found a bunch of black mold. Stupidly removed the paneling without a mask and must have inhaled some of the spores (I've been using a mask since then) which resulted in severe brain fog and disorientation similar to what I get when eating sugars but greatly heightened. That happened Thursday night and I still feel off even though I'm slowly mending. Black mold is no joke. :o

I was doing really good before Thursday. Lots of energy, regular exercise, great focus. Hopefully by next weekend I'll be feeling myself again.

165
Hot Topics / Re: Mike Tyson - Vegan?
« on: April 14, 2011, 12:30:27 am »
Quote from: SkinnyDevil on April 13, 2011, 08:43:02 pm
Why role models?

Why not Tyson, since he's turned his life around in a lot of ways? He's been sober for 2 years, has begun educating himself in a variety of areas (he caused a stir a few years back when he didn't endorse a democrat), and is back in great shape.

He is also one of the best fighters of all time. 
When you read or hear about his rough childhood and what he's gone through it's sad. He was kind of slow mentally as a kid but threw serious punches so people used him. He's seen and done a lot that would have never been possible without his fighting prowess but I doubt he understood just what his handlers were up to most of his time in the spotlight. It's good to see he's getting his life back on track.

Quote from: TylerDurden on April 13, 2011, 08:55:10 pm
  Well, I haven't been following him in the media lately, admittedly. I only read about him in the past when he was doing something horrible like biting an ear off during a fight or whatever.
From what I've heard Holyfield repeatedly headbutted him during the match until he snapped. Was it the best way to handle it? Probably not, but it's not like he snapped for no reason.

166
Exercise / Bodybuilding / Re: The BEST work-out!!!
« on: March 30, 2011, 12:50:18 am »
Topic is split. ;)

Play nice with each other. :P

167
Hot Topics / Re: Sex drive on a raw diet?
« on: March 22, 2011, 02:22:39 am »
Quote from: KD on March 15, 2011, 12:25:32 pm
what is an alpha male anyway? you squat 500, have at least 10 people under you, drive a Lamborghini and bang women of races and creeds?
It's a confidence and self-assurance thing. If you're a real alpha male (as opposed to the current "Alpha"s ridiculed in popular culture who are really betas) you don't need to flaunt dominance over others.
-If you squat 500 I feel you're likely to be doing it to build up your self-image and are unlikely to be a true alpha.
-Number of workers under you may or may not mean a thing. Alphas are leaders but plenty of other personalities end up in management positions.
-99% of Lambos (and other supercars) are purchased for the material attachment and subsequent boost to perceived worth. The guys who buy them and push them to the limits are the ones likely to be alphas.
-Quantities of sexual partners is not indicative of an alpha. Ladies do love confidence but by the same token it's just as easy to be an alpha and monogamous.


168
Journals / Re: Ramblings of a madman...
« on: March 15, 2011, 12:17:37 am »
I spent last week doing another run of the push-up routine. Set of 30 to start the week. Ended yesterday with 1550 for the week, 504 was my highest one day total on Friday. I was pretty sore on Saturday and Sunday so I'm going to do less this week (pull/chin-ups and a couple sets of push-ups to failure) and pick up the routine again next week. :)

On another front my wife and I planted some fruit plants yesterday. We've got an fence for our turtles around the pond I built so I planted two cherry trees, two blueberry bushes, and 30 strawberry plant rhizomes so they can naturally graze outside and we will have lots of fresh fruit.

169
General Discussion / Re: What brought you to a Raw Paleo Diet?
« on: March 15, 2011, 12:05:32 am »
Quote from: TylerDurden on March 14, 2011, 07:06:31 pm
No choice, I had tried every other possible dietary combination other than breatharianism, so this was it or I was dead.
Much the same here. I was painted into a corner and this seemed to be my last resort.

170
Hot Topics / Re: EMF's
« on: March 10, 2011, 02:49:40 am »
Quote from: MaximilianKohler on March 08, 2011, 08:47:21 am
I think it's a significant issue. I have lots of difficulty falling to sleep. When the power went out through our whole neighborhood at like 8pm I felt really relaxed and just fell asleep on the couch... when the electricity came back on I shifted back.
I sleep better when there's a power outage as well but it's because I'm forced to listen to my circadian rhythm as opposed to fighting it with artificial light. Give yourself a week without using lights or watching TV at night and you'll probably notice a similar experience.

171
Journals / Re: My experiences so far
« on: March 10, 2011, 02:24:47 am »
Quote from: MoonStalkeR on March 09, 2011, 04:51:39 am
Cool, more people from NY than I thought on this forum. How long have you lived in NY, and how were pre-RPD winters?

Also I don't eat a RPD as I haven't had success with my attempts to.
Other than 8 months I spent in Florida I've spent my whole life in New York.
Winters varied for me pre-RPD. They were fine as a kid but as I got older my tolerances diminished. All my food allergies kept by core body temperature down making it hard to stay warm. I was still having some trouble last winter but I was much better this winter.

172
General Discussion / Re: Barefoot Shoes and Agion Antimicrobial
« on: March 09, 2011, 02:35:19 am »
Quote from: actup90 on March 08, 2011, 07:55:21 am
Do you wear socks with them?
I'm guessing no, but it would be possible unlike vibrams
So far I have but will probably move towards wearing socks less. I've got the perforated style and even with socks your feet breathe well. :)

173
Journals / Re: My experiences so far
« on: March 09, 2011, 02:28:57 am »
Quote from: MoonStalkeR on March 08, 2011, 01:00:50 pm
Where in New York do you live?
Southern Putnam county, just above Westchester. About an hour from the Bronx, an hour and a half from Manhattan. :)

174
General Discussion / Re: Barefoot Shoes and Agion Antimicrobial
« on: March 08, 2011, 04:23:34 am »
Quote from: Sitting Coyote on February 18, 2011, 09:23:06 am
As far as minimalist shoes, my favorite is the SoftStar RunAmok.  It looks like a moccasin, has a Vibram sole and passes both as a minimalist running shoe as well as a dress shoe if you keep it clean.  I presented some of my consulting work to clients a few days back wearing the same pair of shoes I run in, and no one even noticed the difference.  They're a great all-purpose minimalist shoe.
I bought a pair recently and love them as well. Just a better all-purpose shoe for my needs than any others I can find on the market. Much more breathable too than the five-fingers which is nice on a longer day. :)

175
Journals / Re: Ioanna's Journal
« on: March 08, 2011, 04:14:43 am »
Quote from: Ioanna on March 07, 2011, 11:58:34 am
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 :D

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. :)

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