Trying out soy again - yum!

In the name of figuring out which, if any, of the foods I cut I can bring back, I bought some organic, wheat-free tamari - aka, soy sauce. I made some chicken with Thai peanut sauce and basmati rice last night and boy have I missed soy sauce! It tasted so good and rich and punchy! I'm going to take this slow because I wonder also if it may be that I can handle only certain quantities of soy, and only if it's fermented (aka, soy sauce, miso, tempeh, natto). While soy has been heavily marketed as a health food for it's isoflavinoids and plant-based protein in the West, some say that un-fermented soy (soy milk, soy cheese, etc.) does more harm then good (1, 2, 3). So here, we go!

Finances, Edition #3

I enjoy my weekly grocery store trip. There’s something about all the colorful food that makes me briefly forget about my worries. I also adhere to my family’s food-money philosophy: “You either spend money on food or you spend money on medical bills”. While I knew that my food bills would increase when I started buying all-organic fruits and vegetables, I didn’t think they would increase as much as they did - to $60, $80, sometimes $100 a week. To draw attention to the cost of good food, I’m keeping a cumulative tally of my weekly grocery bill and the tab from any time I eat out.

I did some more cutting corners last week, although early this week, I blew it because pesticide-free strawberries, organic blueberries, and organic mangos were on sale for the best prices I've seen where I live.

5/28/10

Organic Kidney Beans (15 oz): $1.39
Organic Black Beans (15 oz): $1.29
Organic Light Coconut Milk (15 oz): $2.39
3 Organic Lemons, $2.49/lb: $2.27
4 Organic White Peaches, 3.99/lb: $4.27
Organic Raw Hemp Seeds: $5.68
Organic Deget Dates: $2.04
1 lb pesticide free Strawberries: $3.00
1 lb pesticide free Strawberries: $3.99 (Interesting. The strawberries were supposed to be on sale - 2 for $6.)
4 Organic Mangos, 1.25 ea.: $5

Total: $37.41

Then, when I went back to grab something to eat before going on a nice drive, I saw that there were more strawberries, blueberries, and mangos for the taking, and they looked better than the ones I'd picked through the last trip.

5/31/10

4 1lb boxes of Pesticide-Free Strawberries: $12
4 boxes of Organic Blueberries: $12
4 Organic Mangos, 1.25 ea: $5
AmaZake Rice Drink (by Grainaissance), Original Flavor: $2.49
Peanut Butter Cookie: $1.99

Total: $33.65

Week's Total: $71.06

Blog Total: $192.17

Confession, Edition #4

We all make poor food choices and I am no exception, so I am sharing the occasions when I break my own diet. In doing so, I hope to keep myself accountable in adhering to the diet; bring attention to the difference in cost between AFF friendly food and not-so-AFF-friendly food; and show where to find AFF-friendly food outside the apartment kitchen.

I went a week and five days without writing a confession! I know my detractors would say that if I were serious about clearing acne and feeling better permanently, I wouldn't have to write confessions at all. While they may have a point, I would prefer to be as honest as possible about my gluten, soy, and dairy-free (and industrial-animal-product-and-synthetic-sweetener-free avoiding) adventures and misadventures. Should someone of influence come across this blog, I hope they will see the benefits of maintaining high food-quality standards and just how difficult maintaining these standards is in today's food market - and maybe do something about it.

So, confession from yesterday. A friend (and my new roommate!) and I went on a day trip so that she could meet a professor who teaches at a school to which she's considering applying for her doctoral program. I went along because the school is also in my hometown and I would get a chance to see my mom.

Before we left, we had to get our cashier's checks and money orders to pay the up-front fees for our new apartment and sign the lease. While dealing with the mess that is cashier's checks and money orders, I bought tall coffee with soy milk at Starbucks and sweetened it with white sugar (soy, non-organic, processed sugar, caffeine). In my defense, I also got a Berry Blast Naked Juice for later, bringing the day's total sins to $5.29.

Then, after we signed the lease and paid our money, we stopped and got some more Starbucks coffee for free. Our new apartment offers free, fresh brewed Starbucks coffee in it's main office. Unfortunately, they don't have any fresh, liquid, non-dairy, soy, gluten, or artificial sweetner-laiden creamer. I do like black coffee, but I didn't resist pouring some hazelnut-flavored powder creamer (gluten, soy, dairy, non-organic, artificial sweetener/processed sugar, caffeine) to celebrate a new, beautiful apartment with a new, awesome roommate.

So, we drove down and found where she needed to be, with a few minutes to spare. My mom came and we went to the Starbucks near the campus. We both got the non-organic black tea without sweetener (non-organic, caffeine). It was Mom's treat.

When my roommate's appointment was finished and my Mom went home, we had a misadventure trying to pick up something for my roommate's boss. We had had nothing to eat besides coffee (and, in my case, tea and Naked Juice) and ended up at Red Robin. I was so hungry I didn't even really want to think about a salad with fruit. I ordered the Burnin' Love Burger with a Garden Burger for the meat (gluten, dairy, soy) and had marinaded cheese sticks and fried jalepenos with marinara and ranch (dairy, gluten, fried food). That total was $15.75.

For dessert (because my roommate's meeting went very well), I ordered an iced boba chai tea at a local tea shop for $5.55.

The day's total: $26.59.

I still need to write another confession for a few nights ago. I bought an organic pizza (gluten, dairy, soy) and had a soy-based cheesecake (which actually was quite good). The total was $14.93.

So maybe it's been less than a week and five days since my last confession . . .

This confession's total: $41.52.

Finances, Edition #2

I enjoy my weekly grocery store trip. There’s something about all the colorful food that makes me briefly forget about my worries. I also adhere to my family’s food-money philosophy: “You either spend money on food or you spend money on medical bills”. While I knew that my food bills would increase when I started buying all-organic fruits and vegetables, I didn’t think they would increase as much as they did - to $60, $80, sometimes $100 a week. To draw attention to the cost of good food, I’m keeping a cumulative tally of my weekly grocery bill and the tab from any time I eat out.

Updates from my vacation (minus the confession entries).

Brown rice bread: $4.99
Fudge Brownie: $1.59
Frozen Channa Masala: $3.99
Mango White Tea: $1.59

Total: $12.16

Organic Blueberry Juice: $3.99
Organic Black Beans: $1.39
Organic Kidney Beans: $1.39
Organic Spinach: $3.49

Total: $10.26

Vanilla Hemp Milk: $3.29
Tea: $1.79

Total: $5.08

Vacation Total: $27.50

Now that I'm back, I have to get more creative and calculating in how I spend the few dollars I am making. I met a friend at the natural foods store today and got down and dirty with cutting corners.

Organic Hass Avocados: $.99 ea X 3 = $2.97
Organic Cantalope: $1.49/lb X 5.4 lb = $8.05
Organic Kiwi: $.79 ea X 6 = $3.95
Organic Red Leaf Lettuce: $1.99/head X 1 head = $1.99
Organic Green Leaf Lettuce: $1.99/head X 1 head = $1.99
Organic Carrot Bunch (5 carrots): $1.59/bunch X 1 bunch = $1.59
Organic Deglet Dates: $2.16
Organic Amaranth (bulk): $2.39/lb X 2.01 lb = $4.80
Organic Chocolate Coconut Macaroons: $3.99

Total: $31.49

Blog Total: $121.11

Regimen, Edition #1: Organic, Unrefined, Coconut Oil

When I was researching the regimen, I read several accounts about how people who had struggled with acne for years found that organic, raw coconut oil made all the difference for them. I thought they were nuts, but I was willing to give anything reasonable a shot at the time, so I gave coconut oil a go.

I am pleased to say that raw, organic, non-hydrogenated coconut oil has made quite a difference. I started using it just as a moisturizer after my Retin-A cream at night, but I've using it as a day moisturizer and a body lotion too. I've had fewer problems with dry skin and scars have faded faster than they normally do. I've yet to figure out how exactly to make it work with my hair, but when I have used it, coconut oil works just as well on dandruff as T-Gel.

Coconut oil also works well with the recipes I've been developing. It helps keep my protein bars together (lifesavers when I'm in a hurry) and it works well in smoothies. Now it sounds crazy to be going through so much coconut oil, because of the high saturated fat content, but everyone needs some fat to stay healthy and sane and the kind of saturated fat in coconut oil is the same kind in mother's milk. I wouldn't say that's a bad trade-off, especially if fat consumption in general is low like mine (little meat; tons of fruits, veggies, and nuts; a bit of grain; very little dairy).

I'm not paid by anyone to market coconut oil (though I really could use the money), but it's worth a shot if you're not allergic or sensitive.

The AFF Diet, Edition #2: Why organic?

I've cut out soy, gluten, and dairy. That pretty much eliminates abundant, cheap, quick, processed food found in traditional supermarkets and restaurants. That elimination also makes my food bill eat up a substantial fraction of my limited income. Why go organic too?

First thing's first. Organic food is grown without certain chemicals (mostly synthetic fertilizers and pesticides) that has been approved by the US government to carry a USDA Certified Organic sticker (1, 2). People have different reasons for going organic, but, in my reading, the Soil Association's 5 reasons for organic foods sums the reasons up well: concerns about health, animals, and the environment (3). While organizations have claimed that organic food is more nutritious than regular food (4), such claims took a hit when CNN covered a study arguing otherwise. None the less, the demand for organic food has increased over the past several years.

The reason I am choosing organic food is simple and has nothing to do with nutrition. While it would be nice to be getting %50 more nutrients for every apple that I eat, I am most concerned with what I don't get with organic food. I don't want to eat the chemicals used on regular food, or the genetically-modified foods unregulated in regular food. While the chemical/GMO junk may come in minute quantities, my body has been trying to get rid of that stuff for the past 12-13 years, and I don't need to be processing it.

Cookbook, Edition #1: The Green Smoothie

The biggest challenge I had in implementing the diet/regimen (besides money) was that I am a picky eater with a major sweet tooth. A friend of mine mentioned that, as part of her diet, she threw vegetables in her lunch smoothies and didn’t taste them at all. Being willing to try anything, I took the ingredients for my favorite salad (baby spinach and berries) and made a smoothie around it.

An AFF Green Smoothie

The Greens:
-2 fistfuls of spinach
-a fistful of broccoli
-a carrot, diced, with it’s green, leafy top

The Fruits:
-a banana, peeled and chopped
-a fistful or two of berries

The Extras:
-a tablespoon or two of hemp seed
-a splash of water
-a splash of coconut milk

Wash ingredients as needed, place in a blender, and mix until smooth. Pour into a glass, serve immediately, and enjoy.

What I like about this recipe best is its flexibility. You can substitute any green vegetable for the spinach; any number of fruits for the berries and the banana; and any kind of seeds, milk substitutes, or other AFF friendly extras for the hemp seed and coconut milk. You can also add or subtract ingredients to suit your taste buds and still have a good green smoothie. The only time I threw out what I mixed up for a smoothie was when I threw some dates into the mix. Something about that just didn’t work for me.

What variations have you tried? What works? What doesn’t?

Finances, Edition #1

I enjoy my weekly grocery store trip. There’s something about all the colorful food that makes me briefly forget about my worries. I also adhere to my family’s food-money philosophy: “You either spend money on food or you spend money on medical bills”. While I knew that my food bills would increase when I started buying all-organic fruits and vegetables, I didn’t think they would increase as much as they did - to $60, $80, sometimes $100 a week. To draw attention to the cost of good food, I’m keeping a cumulative tally of my weekly grocery bill and the tab from any time I eat out.

Carrot Bunch x 2: .99 x 2 = $1.98
Head of Broccoli @1.99/lb: $.98
Whole Cucumber @ 1.99/lb: $1.29
Family Size Container of Spinach: $6.99
Bananas @ 1.99/lb: $4.79
Lemons @ 1.99: $2.59
Nutiva Chocolate Hemp Bar: $2.49
1 lb of Strawberries x 4: 2.50 x 4 = $10
Raw Hemp Seeds (.14 lbs): $3.46
Coconut Oil (31 oz): $20.99
Canned Pinto Beans (15 oz): $1.39
Canned Garbanzo Beans (15 oz): $1.39
Canned Black Beans (15 oz): $1.39
Canned Coconut Milk (15 oz): $2.39

Total: $62.12

Blog Total: $62.12

Ironically, this was the best week I’ve had in a long time. I normally spend $20/week on frozen mixed berries and $2/bunch on carrots, but strawberries and carrot bunches were on sale this week. If I hadn't needed coconut oil, I would have spent $41.13, a record low.

Hello World!

I am a 23-year-old graduate student who loves food, but has struggled with acne for 12-13 years. Six weeks ago, I decided that the standard acne treatments just did not cut it anymore and I wanted to try something different. Over Spring Break, I researched, developed, and implemented a regimen for myself using free Internet resources and some old-fashioned common sense. This is the regimen I came up with, after some experimentation:

Diet:
-tons of fresh, organic fruits and vegetables blended in smoothies
-organic, fresh, raw nuts and seeds
-occasional, organic, grass-fed meat
-organic rice, quinoa, and amaranth
-organic coconut, canola, and olive oil, used sparingly
-no dairy, soy, or gluten in any form
-limited caffeine, corn syrup, and white sugar
-raw, organic, green foods powder taken once a day in the morning

Topical Regimen:
-two short, hot, showers a day
-washing with organic coconut oil and a salicylic acid cleanser
-toning with organic tea tree oil
-morning only: oil free conventional moisturizer/sunscreen
-night only: Retin-A cream and organic coconut oil

I am pleased to report moderate, but undeniable, results, even though I broke the diet and regimen several times. What I am not pleased to report, however, is that money, time, and scarcity threaten my ability to stick with the regimen. As a result, I am working to develop solutions for myself, share my solutions with others, and advocate for change in the way we approach food, both on a small and large scale. This blog will document my research, successes, and failures in pursuing those goals.