Must have books for the spiritual seeker...

There are many very good books out there (unfortunately I can't afford to own them all). Here are a few books that I think are worth reading or at least consulting whatever spiritual path you are following:

• "Human race get off your knees ~ The lion sleeps no more" by David Icke
• "Forbidden gates ~ The dawn of techno-dimensional spiritual warfare" by Tom & Nina Horn
• "Lost star of myth and time" by Walter Cruttenden
• "The ancient secret of the flower of life" (vol 1 & 2) by Drunvalo Melchizedek
• "Living in the heart" by Drunvalo Melchizedek
• "The opening of the way" (translated from the french "L'ouverture du chemin") by Isha Schwaller de Lubicz
• "The nine eyes of light ~ Ascension keys from Egypt" by Padma Aon Prakasha
• "The alchemist's journey ~ An old system for a New Age" by Glennie Kindred
• "The key ~ A true encounter" by Whitley Strieber
• "The return of the serpents of wisdom" by Mark Amaru Pinkham
• "Shamanic secrets for physical mastery" by Robert Shapiro
• "Shamanic secrets for material mastery" by Robert Shapiro
• "Shamanic secrets for spiritual mastery" by Robert Shapiro
• "Navigating the collapse of time ~ A peaceful path through the end of illusions" by David Ian Cowan
• "Alchemy of the nine dimensions" by Barbara Hand Clow & Gerry Clow
  

My Favorite Cookbooks

Like many people who are interested in health, gut healing and proper nutrition, I have several cookbooks (including SCD, GAPS and Paleo ones). But there are only a few I use regularly or simply like to open for some inspiration, here are my favorites:

• "Red Velvet Chocolate Heartache" by Harry Eastwood (that I had to order from England)
• "Roast Figs Sugar Snow ~ Winter food to warm the soul" by Diana Henry
• "Winter Harvest Cookbook" by Lane Morgan
• "Grain-Free Baked Goods & Desserts" by Kelly V. Brozyna (The Spunky Coconut)
• "Tagines & Couscous" by Ghillie Basan

And you, which are your favorite cookbooks?

Latest News and A Story

I have recently participated in a French literary contest. The theme was "le jour où j'ai perdu la tête" which means either "the day I lost my mind" or "the day I lost my head" depending on the context. I chose the head and came up with a tale of a ghost haunting the Tower of London (where I have never been) with a historical context and 3 stories weaving in one.
I don't know if I will be chosen amongst the winners but I have good hope to be noticed...I am satisfied with the story I wrote.
You can my tale online (in French) HERE .
If you don't speak French, Google Translate might do a fairly decent job translating my text.
I am still working on my book (alas this tale won't be part of it) and I hope to have it printed within the next 2 months ;).

Remembering lino...

I moved to my new nest a couple weeks ago yet most of my stuff is still packed in boxes. I often try to remember where I have seen this or that so that it almost becomes a game (better be playful than frustrated about the whole situation).
I can't wait to start doing creative things again. I will have my own little "workshop" room where most of my books already are...I just need a BIG table. I also can't wait to get back to my writing.
I've been wanting for months to do some kind of illustrations for the book but I haven't been able to find a suitable technique/medium for that...That is until a couple days ago when I had one of those "Ahhhha!" moments that happened after seeing a book on printing.
There are many printing techniques ranging from ultra-simple to complex ones (usually involving specific & often costly tools). That is when I remembered lino cuts.
I discovered lino when I started studying Applied Arts in high school. I didn't find it too fun at first since I kept on pocking and cutting my fingers with the tools (so did my class mates) but then I got more comfortable with it. It is a versatile technique that is old school yet can be very modern visually speaking. I think that is what I will go with for my book...

Ch-ch-changes

I like changes. I see them as an opportunity for growth: something new & good (I don't like routine).

I'm about to move to a new place, my book project (short stories) is starting to look like something (I already have 3/4 of the stories written in French and I think I figured out the illustration part) and I believe it will be ready by September (fingers crossed).

Then I will have to work at the English translation ;).
I also have a different book project, this one has to do with Alchemille's Garden and I'm sure that my fans will appreciate...I think it's time I reveal my tea blending & natural beauty secrets. What do you think? ;)

About Food Allergies

About 3 months ago, I felt like I was falling apart: serious digestive issues (bloating, leaky gut symptoms, a feeling of having butterflies in my stomach...) as well as nervous issues (constantly tense muscles, impossible to relax, tachycardia episodes lasting longer than usual...). Not to mention cracking joints & joint pains. At some point my elbows were swollen and sore with black & blues for a couple days...I was a total wreck, I knew I had to do something!

So the first thing I did was to remove all grains, all nuts and high oxalate foods because I suspected that the little calcium I had was flushed away by the oxalates (I had a few servings of spinach before it all started) and I knew I was probably low in magnesium as well (I hadn't been taking magnesium supplements for years even though I have spasmophilia, I just assumed that all the nuts I was eating - especially almonds - would cover my magnesium needs). Since I knew my gut was damaged, I started taking more fermented foods, some clay (to flush the toxins out of my body) and bone broths (which did some magic for my stomach where peppermint tea failed).

So at this point I was grain, nut, sugar, corn, soy, egg & nightshades free. I'd been having raw dairy daily (since a good 2-3 years) too which seemed to be fine for me (or so I thought) since I didn't experience the stomach aches I had as a child with pasteurized milk, not to mention that the extra beneficial bacteria was more than welcome. I was doing better but it was not perfect. I started reacting to simple foods I had no problem with until now (carrots, beets...). So I figured that there was still something bothering me & my intestines.

I thought it was time for me to get tested for food allergies once and for all and stop the guessing game. So I ordered an allergy test kit that required just a few drops of blood (something I could do at home), send via the mail and wait for the results. Meanwhile I had heard that allergy tests were not 100% accurate and an acquaintance of mine suggested the Coca Pulse Test, in which your pulse can give you an indication if a type of food isn't to your body's liking. It can be a bit time consuming (especially if you have several foods to test) but it is fairly accurate...I mean how can your own pulse/body trick you?

A couple days ago (about 2 weeks after I sent my allergy testing card), I got my results in the mail. Here's what they found out:

-I'm allergic to cane sugar (class VI, the highest), asparagus (class IV), almonds (class V), cottage cheese (class IV), cow's milk (class IV), whey (class IV) & yogurt (class IV)

These are foods I need to take out of my diet. I'm a bit surprised by the dairy since I only used raw cow's milk and thought I was doing fine but dairy was the only food I hadn't removed from my elimination diet and might be the culprit as to why my intestines are not healing as well as I was hoping. Almonds doesn't surprise me, as I have eaten a lot of them (like many grain free folks out there) and one often craves the food he/she is allergic too though last time I reintroduced a bit of almond butter I noticed that it didn't taste nearly as good as it used too. Asparagus is something I suspected. Now the cane sugar is something that blew me away: I've had hypoglycemia since my childhood and naturally I've eaten tons of sugary things for my low blood sugar...Which means I have poisoned myself for more than 20 years! (And I now know how toxic sugar is...Even more for me!). I removed sugar from my diet a few years ago after reading that sugar feeds the whole hypoglycemia cycle and it helped.

-I'm moderately sensitive to chicken eggs (yolks & whites, class III), baker's yeast (class III), casein (class III), cheddar (class III), mozzarella (class III)

These are foods I can have on a rotation diet (about once or twice a week). I removed the eggs years ago as I suspected a sensitivity (digestive disorders, slight red patches on the skin coming & going). Recently I did the pulse test with chicken eggs and my pulse didn't react. I will try eating one and add 1-2 to baked goods but I'd like to get duck eggs instead since I've read that they are a good option for people allergic to chicken eggs (and more nutritious too).

What surprised me is no reaction to grain (gluten or not), pulses, nightshades, nuts or seeds. My pulse seems to react to tree nuts such as walnuts & hazelnuts (at least for now, could be a temporary sensitivity, as usual I'll retest again in a few weeks). I know I reacted to chickpea flour and then lentils (which I never had trouble with) but lately the lentils were ok with the pulse test. As for grains, I know they feed my hypoglycemia. Each time I reintroduce them, the old ghost is back within 3 days (I suspect more of a starch issue than a true gluten issue. And since starch is sugar...). My only hope is sprouted grains/flours, they don't seem to trigger and hypoglycemia and my stomach handles them fine but my intestines are still fragile and get irritated so I'll have to try again in 1-2 months. As for nightshades, I pulse tested a tomato, which was fine but even though I only chewed on a tiny tomato, I had a horrible headache afterward that lasted a while, so I'm most likely sensitive to the toxins inside the nightshades (I recommend the book "Nightshade free, Pain free"). Once I remove the cow's dairy (according to the test goat milk isn't a problem, except that finding raw goat milk is nearly impossible because it's very perishable. But raw goat milk cheeses can be found easily), I expect my gut to heal a bit faster, especially since I'm on my own customized paleo-scd-gaps diet ;).

Also I was surprised that onions & garlic didn't show (they seem to trigger post-nasal drip), neither did carrots, beets or mushrooms (which I got a pulse reaction from) so it could be a temporary sensitivity.

I don't regret doing the test, I think if I combine the results with my pulse tests and my body's reactions (such as headache, post-nasal drip and such), it will make things much more manageable for me. I am hopeful that I will be able to reintroduce more and more foods over the next few months. I just want to be healthy, happy, enjoy life and enjoy my food!

Pour mes amis en France: les ESSENTIELS pour vivre en semi-autarcie et en bonne santé...

Voici une liste de livres sur les thèmes du jardinage, de l'herboristerie, des cosmétiques naturelles, des préparations culinaires maison et autres que j'ai dans ma bibliotheque magique.
Oubliez tout ce que vous pensiez savoir et ce que vous tenez pour vrai de la bouche de medecins, diététiciens et autres charlatans des temps modernes...Ceux qui detenaient le vrai savoir, la vraie bouffe et les vrais remèdes n'étaient autres que nos aieux il n'y a pas si longtemps que cela!
Je n'ai pas voulu m'étaler de trop sur la diététique et la nutrition (même si je suis devenue un peu malgré moi une "experte" dans le domaine de par mes lectures et mes expériences personnelles), chacun ayant des besoins et des tolérances différentes, il reste cependant important de bien connaître son corps...

~Herboristerie - Tisanes - Soins Naturels - Santé ~

• "Les vertus des Tisanes" de Anne Levédrine
• "Cataplasmes, compresses, bains de pieds et de mains" de Germaine Cousin
• "Mes tisanes bien-être" de Pierrette Nardo
• "Mes bonne plantes & mes bonne herbes (jardin, bien-être, cuisine) de Pierrette Nardo
• "C'est la Nature qui a raison (secrets de santé et de beauté) de Maurice Mességué (mon premier livre d'herboristerie ;) )
• "Les infusions du jardin" de Peter Bauwens
  
• "22 épices pour préserver la santé" de Guy Avril (basé sur l'Ayurvéda)
• "Nos grand-mères savaient - la vérité sur les plantes et la vie naturelle" de Jean Palaiseul (j'ai la version anglaise)
• "Nos grands-mères savaient : Petit dictionnaire des plantes qui guérissent" de Jean Palaiseul
• "Créez vos cosmétiques bio" de Sylvie Hampikian
• "Beauté et bien-être à l'Orientale" de Vanessa Sitbon (La Sultane de Saba)
• "Recettes de beauté des femmes du Maroc" de Abdelhai Sijelmassi
• "Vinaigres: cuisine, santé, bien-être" de Nathalie Nagy-Kochmann
• "La santé commence par les intestins" de Scarlett Weinstein-Loison

~Cuisine - Nutrition - Fermentation - Jardinage~

• "L'atelier bio (ingrédients, recettes et savoir-faire) de Collectif
• "Créez vos boissons santé" de Sylvie Hampikian
• "Vieux légumes, le grand retour" de Keda Black
• "Légumes oubliés d'hier et d'aujourd'hui" de Kathleen & Yves Paccalet
• "Légumes bio - mode d'emploi" d'Emmanuel et Valérie Cupillard
• "Sauces végétariennes" de Valérie Cupillard
• "Mes pâtes à tartiner sucrées et salées" de Cléa
• "Spaghettis de légumes (tagliatelles & cie)" d'Orathay & Vania
• "Bouillons maison" de Marie Leteuré
• "Cuisine bio pour fruits de saison (130 recettes salées et sucrées) de Serge de Thaey
• "Secrets d'endurance - barres, boissons et recettes maison" de Kecily & Kristof Berg
• "Protéines vertes (tofu, lentilles, pois chiches, azukis) de Christophe Berg
• "La cuisine des petits chemins" d'Annie Pavlowitch (pour ceux qui s'y connaissent en plantes sauvages comestibles)
• "Je cuisine les fanes" d'Amandine Geers
• "Purées" de Sylvie Girard-Lagorce et Delphine Brunet
• "A la découverte des aliments fermentés (pour dynamiser votre assiette) de Chantal et Lionel Clergeaud
• "Les ferments: yaourt, faisselle, kéfir, soja, boissons fermentées..." de Dounia Silem
• "Kéfir de fruits et de lait" de Peter Bauwens
• "Glaces et sorbets du jardin" de Peter Bauwens
• "Laits et yaourts végétaux faits maison" d'Anne Brunner
• "Fromages végétaux" de Virginie Péan
  
• "Tout fait maison" de Nathalie Cahet et Isabelle Brouant
• "Friandises bio - petites douceurs authentiques" de Karen Chevallier
• "Crèmes glacées et sorbets bio" de Karen Chevallier
• " Les incroyables vertus des jus de légumes santé" d'Evelyne Baubeau
• "Les incroyables vertus des smoothies verts" de Collette Herve-Pairin & Nadege Pairin
• "Des aliments aux mille vertus: Cuisiner les aliments fermentés" de Claude Aubert & Jean-James Garreau
  
• "Smoothies - A votre santé!" de Cécile & Christophe Berg
• "Sauces salades" de Christophe Berg
• "Sarrasin" de Cécile & Christophe Berg
• "Chanvre" d'Anne Brunner
  
• "Jeunes pousses" de Fionna Hill (j'ai la version anglaise...Plus facile, pratique et tout aussi nutritif que les graines germées. Permet en plus d'avoir un petit jardin d'hiver vitaminé même dans le plus petit des appartements)

~Collection : Petits bonheurs maison de Marie-Françoise Delarozière et Chantal James~

• "Epices, aromates et condiments"
• "Tisanes et sirop délices"
• "Vins apéritifs maison"
• "Liqueurs du placard"
• "Plaisirs sans alcool"
• "Desserts et gourmandises aux fruits"
• "Confitures, compotes et fruits au sirop"
• "L'armoire aux conserves"
• "Cuisine des fleurs, feuilles et petites salades"
• "Légumes des 4 saisons"

Je recommande également l'excellent blog C Fait Maison!
Après vous saurez tout faire!
Maintenant y'a plus qu'à se remettre à la couture et au tricot...;).

Something exciting...

A few days ago I have been contacted by a fairly well known author of French gluten free cookbooks to possibly translate her next cookbook into English.
Though no contract has been signed yet, but I think we are heading to the right direction...
This could be fun ;).