If you share the desire with me to slow down, and intentionally get back to basics, you’ll want to read this. I hear from so many people who want to simplify but don’t know where to start or feel overwhelmed because they feel like they lack skills to accomplish it. If that’s you….do not despair. Read on.
In our extremely hectic world society has put much pressure on each member of it to ‘succeed’ and often at any cost. What is the real cost? Much of the time it’s to the detriment of our health, our family relationships and our peace of mind.
I stand just as guilty of frequently falling into the trap or being lured by what appears to be ‘success’ (be it defined by money, accolades, popularity or material possessions, etc) only to find much of it is not only empty but also fleeting and fickle. Most of the time, peace, for me can be found by intentionally sorting through the vast and ever pressing modern opportunities and getting back to the basics of simply living.
It’s a joke in some ways, but reality in others, that I often head to the kitchen to make bread because “I knead therapy.” No, that was not a typo-o. I do KNEAD that bread making rythm and feel of the therapeutic dough, the smell as it bakes (there is science behind the smell of fresh baked bread releasing stress) and of course the taste of home-made ANYTHING is always a deeper sense of satisfaction than packaged or convenience foods.
My suggestion is – sit quietly and find out where you’re overwhelmed. Try to find ways to pare down the ‘to do’ list that drains you and put in some things that recharge you!
Here is a tool that may help you see some of the joys in simplicity. It is only available for a limited time (5 days as of this posting) but is PACKED with advice and instructions from leaders in the area of self-sufficiency, homesteading, home-making, gardening and loads of back to basics skills. Click the banner to take a look and see all the topics!
Until next time …enJOY the journey!
Donna
With the rise in so many people being diagnosed as “Gluten Intolerant” or having a “Gluten Sensitive” it’s no wonder that this naturally occurring protein has gotten an undeserved bad name. Unless the diagnosis is actually “Celiac’s Disease” – you may just be one of the numerous people who are affected by our highly processed flour and diet and may not actually suffer from a true intolerance or sensitivity to gluten. I truly believe, and can attest to it personally for myself, that it is not gluten that is the problem for most people. It is the processing of flour to make it so-called “shelf worthy” that is a big problem.
The truth is that gluten is present in many grains, mostly however, wheat is the most widely used and recognized. Gluten was not ever meant to be consumed without the benefits of the entire grain – which you cannot get in a bag of dead store bough flour…even ‘whole’ wheat flour. Mostly because it isn’t the whole wheat kernel…although it may be allowed to labeled that way.
The wheat grain was created to work like all whole foods – with a synergistic relationship one part to another, with each part in tact. When a wheat grain is stripped down to make white flour all but the endosperm is discarded and we are left with the white flour that can hold together a paper mache’ creations – of course then gluten becomes an issue – where are the parts that help us to digest this ‘glue’? They are missing. Even in ‘whole wheat’ flour the wheat germ oil mostly is removed to prolong shelf life. Traces of it are left and the rancidity of the traces of oil is what cause the bitter taste in bagged ‘whole wheat’ flour. No wonder no one seems to think they can like whole wheat – they taste the rancid oil left in the bagged dead flour.
So there are two problems – just to name a a few that help to feed (no pun intended) this frenzy of gluten being a problem. It in fact is a fraction of a whole that was meant to work together in our digestive system.
Now let us just take a quick look at what is missing nutritionally when we consume only the white dead bagged flour.
It’s called ‘enriched’ flour for a reason. It has been ‘enriched’ with synthetic (yes, think – fake) vitamins and minerals to attempt to replace what has been removed when the other parts of the kernel have been omitted from your flour. 
This small diagram to the right (if you click it – it enlarges) shows what is missing when only the white flour is consumed. The lack of vital nutrients in the wheat flour that we consume is creating gluten sensitivities and intolerance – not the gluten itself. Gluten itself may not be the problem.
The bran contains more protein than the endosperm, trace oils (good oils too – natural vitamin E ) a very high percentage of one’s daily allowance of fiber and iron. Not to mention the B vitamins vital for energy in our bodies.
The germ is the powerhouse for the kernel that helps it grown into a live plant – and our commercialized process strips it from us. Highest in protein, it also contains the vital oils with their vitamin E and lipids and omega oils that we seem content to pay extra for in supplements. Iron and B vitamins are also very high in the wheat germ.
We are a people who are satiated, yet extremely malnourished.
Below are some personal stories about my journey to discover the real problem for me and I suspect for many who may be under the assumption they have a gluten problem. Please listen and watch to gain more information than is not included in this post.
You can listen to my story below and see the path that I personally took to prove that gluten was not the problem for me:
New Family Internet Radio with Millers Grain House on BlogTalkRadio
This video was one of my first on our YouTube Channel.
80+ videos later it still is one of my favorites for educating people about the benefits of home-milling.
I hope you enjoy…
FOR A SELF-SUSTAINING LIFE
