Well, I switched over to
only grass-fed meat and free range eggs two days ago. I took my blood pressure yesterday and it was 125/75! I can live with that! It hasn't been that low since I did a 9-day water fast last summer. That is an amazing turn around from the 143/82 reading that I got after eating grain-fed roast beef and bacon on Friday.
It seems as though the decrease in arachidonic acid (AA) did the trick, after all these months of wondering why my blood pressure wouldn't go down! This seems to have lessened my pain level a little as well. It's amazing to me that such a simple change could be the magic button! But it looks like that's the case with me. I'm one of those persons the Eades (Protein Power) refer to as having nature throw them a curve ball with a sensitivity to AA! "Arachidonic Acid: Nature Throws Us a Curve"
http://www.opinions3.com/arachidonic_acid.htm
I'm finding out that this Omega essential fatty acid balance is a more complicated issue than I thought. There are more than one type of Omega-3 EFA. There's EPA & DHA, which comes from coldwater fish (salmon, tuna, mackerel), fish oils, and fresh seaweed. Then there's ALA, which comes from flax, hemp, green leafy vegetables, plant oils (olive and walnut oils are best). And then there's GLA, that comes from borage oil, black currant oil, and evening primrose oil. "GLA: The Missing Link"
http://www.fatsforhealth.com/librar...issing_link.php
I'm currently using (1) Carlson's fish oil and eating fish for EPA & DHA, (2) flaxseeds, hemp protein powder, and olive and walnut oils for ALA, and (3) evening primrose oil for GLA. With my decrease of Omega-6 (and thus AA) by eating only grass-fed meat/eggs, I think I've finally got all the bases covered and my sensitivity addressed!! (I have followed the recommendations of Dr. Mercola on choosing Carlson's fish oil and evening primrose oil. I tend to value his opinion.
www.mercola.com)
Enough talk of technicalities. Over the weekend, I made pemmican for the first time ever, out of grass-fed bison fat and grass-fed beef eye of round roast. I marinated the beef using my jerky recipe so it is nice and spicy, dried it really well, and pulverized it in the food processor. I rendered the fat for hours in the oven, and the cracklins were delicious and plentiful, so I froze them in 1-cup increments, hoping to come up with some way to use them up over time.
I mixed 2 parts meat to 1 part fat. I didn't use any dried berries or anything. The pemmican turned out fantastic! And I had fat left over, which I froze for another future batch. I've got my lunches ready-made now for a good week or two!
Also over the weekend, I tried a blender "eggnog." I have been wanting to incorporate raw eggs into my diet. Here's an article I thought was good about raw eggs:
http://www.regenerativenutrition.com/content.asp?id=268. With 3 eggs, I blended a heaping spoon of coconut cream, a little cold water, some nutmeg, stevia, and some ice. It was delightfully tasty and frosty. And very filling. The satisfaction from all the fat lasted for a good three hours. I think I've got myself a new favorite breakfast. And the nutmeg has some nice health benefits as well.
Well, that's enough "fat talk" for one morning. Does anybody have any ideas how to use cracklins from fat rendering? (besides just eating them 'as is'
)