More discoveries

I've continued to discover new things as I've introduced more "conventional" foods into my diet. First, I realized when working out that my sweat is incredibly salty - like it absolutely blows my mind how salty it is. I'm thinking that I must have been very sodium depleted to the point where my sweat was virtually just water, and now it is getting back to normal. I've also felt a little "bloated" - not necessarily in my stomach, just kind of all over. I feel this also has to do with sodium. Sodium is important to holding water in the body. I think that especially toward the end of November, water was going straight through me, and I had to drink loads of water to stay hydrated. I think that it's now starting to be held in my body again (as it should), but it feels noticeably different to me.

It's been so interesting to discover these things as my body continues to adapt to a broader diet. Though I'm still committed to local and organic foods, I can see now that I would not have been able to continue my project for much longer without including sodium into my criteria.

Food Log 12/8/10

Breakfast: coffee with raw milk, Asiago bagel with eggs from a nearby Amish farm and local/organic pepperjack cheese, salt and pepper.

Dinner: Stacini's celebration with the Fresh from the Vines bakery crew -

Food Log 12/7/10

Lunch: chili with melted cheese, cornbread with honey, hot cocoa
Dinner: Applebee's date - chips and salsa, oriental shrimp wrap, french fries
Snacks: crackers, veggies

My laptop hasn't been working lately - it won't connect to wireless internet, and even connecting to the internet with cable has been difficult. It's made posting a hassel but I'm hoping to get it fixed over break!

Food Log 12/6/10

Breakfast: cornbread with honey, tea
Lunch and Dinner: chili with canned tomatoes, ground beef from Ripley, NY, garlic, habanero pepper, beans, green pepper, and melted montery jack cheese from Wholly Cow pastures; cornbread with honey

I'm pleased because this meal was entirely local and organic - with the exception of salt in the cheese - and it was incredibly delicious!

Snacks: fairtrade organic hot cocoa with raw milk, Fresh from the Vines bakery tidbits (its fun to munch while I work now that I can try things!), chocolate

Food Log 12/5/10

Breakfast: cornbread (still using my local and organic cornmeal from Frankferd Farms, and raw milk as the only ingredients), blueberry rhubarb jam from Fresh from the Vines, and honey; fairtrade organic hot cocoa made with raw milk

Lunch: Nick's housemate Chris works at Cracker Barrel, and we finally went so he could be our server. I had cinnamon french toast and bisquits with apple butter!
Dinner: Domino's veggie pizza

I'm also making chili tonight that I can have for lunch and dinner tomorrow with my leftover cornbread. I'm using my canned tomatoes, frozen peppers and beans, habanero pepper, garlic, and local/free range ground beef. I'm planning on melting some of my pepperjack cheese from Wholly Cow pastures when I eat it tomorrow! I'm happy that this meal will be entirely local and organic, with the exception of salt that I may sprinkle on top (only if it needs it of course).

Food Log 12/4/10

Breakfast: coffee with cream, 2 poached eggs on flatbread with melted pepperjack cheese from Wholly Cow pastures, topped with sea salt, cracked pepper, and drizzled with hot sauce

Snacks: yogurt-berry-granola parfait, a piece of chocolate
Dinner: SAE formal - bread, butter, spaghetti, cheese, twice baked potato, assortment of holiday cookies, and white wine

Interesting Experiences

Since I've broadened my diet in the last few days, I've had some remarkable experiences as I "re-taste" things again. I've found that my taste buds are in some ways much more sensitive, allowing me to experience eating differently than I did before my project began.

When Nick and I went to eat at Valenza's, he encouraged me to eat the slice of lemon in my water glass. I've never liked lemons and didn't want to eat it, but it had been so long since I've had citrus I decided to try it. I took a little lick and loved it, and ended up sucking all the juice I could from the lemon peel, and then took his and ate it too! I think it's crazy I enjoyed it so much, and it made me think that my "sour" taste buds had been lying dormant for a long time, and it was amazing to wake them up so vigorously.

My dinner with Nick was also the first time I tried butter other than my own. Valenzas makes delicious bread and provides small butter packets in the bread basket. On my first slice, I couldn't believe the way the butter tasted (not to mention the bread, it wasn't flat and it wasn't cornbread...I was thrilled!). The salt added such a different flavor. On my next piece, I grabbed a new butter packet from the basket without really looking at it. After taking a bite, it tasted really noticeably different than the last slice, and I knew it wasn't real butter. After examining the package, I learned it was mostly vegetable oil with some other artificial ingredients. It tasted so "wrong" to me I wouldn't eat it. I think this is interesting because prior to my project, I didn't notice differences in flavors of butter, and now I am much more sensitive to tastes.

I've also really enjoyed the textures of different foods, especially bread and pasta. I've also been conscious of how different foods feel in my stomach, and the kind of energy they provide. I've realized that my project has made me hyper-aware of the entire experience of food and eating - from obtaining ingredients, to cooking and preparation, to tasting and eating, and its consequent result on our bodies. My relationship to food has changed dramatically, and although I don't think I'll always have this heightened sensitivity with respect to taste, I've become so interested and passionate about all the elements of food that I only want to continue pursuing these experiences in further depth.