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Wednesday, May 11, 2022

after Mother's Day... and a few questions

Quiet, but nice Mother's Day! Kids texted or called. DH made me waffles and bacon! (yum!) And got these cute pop-up cards from oldest son and his wife.  

pop-up Mother's Day cards

Oh... and White Face brought one of her tiny babies to the back porch  for us to see. She left him there for a few hours and then took him/her back with her.  The kitten is a little black and white and should be about 2-3 weeks old. She's the one who had the 4 kittens and moved them from the side fence to the porch during the storm... and somehow lost the white one. We haven't seen them since she took them off the porch and moved them elsewhere, so we were excited to see this one. I'd been telling her that she needed to let us know that the kittens were alright. I guess this was her way to let us know.

Oldest son and his wife are in Maui, Hawaii today. They used to live on Oahu, but moved back here to Texas at the beginning of the pandemic. She is a traveling nurse... so they will move again soon. But they loved Hawaii and are spending some time there this week. I will share any pics I get. When we visited them in 2019, it was the first time I'd ever been to Hawaii... and I loved it too... especially all the deserted lava beaches (and all the green)!

DH and I have been 'treating' ourselves a little this week. We ordered take-out from Cheddars yesterday (bar-b-que ribs and chicken tenders with Italian green beans and a honey-butter croisant) So-oo good! I have been cooking almost 24/7 these last 2 years... so it is great to eat delicious food someone else has cooked (not that I mind cooking as I don't, but still...) And we ordered a slice of cheesecake to share with coffee today! 




Next are a few questions... and forgive me if I've asked them before (my memory isn't great). But lately I've been on a little bit of a health boost - and have started drinking almond and cashew milk as well as chicken bone broth. The bone broth is supposed to be good for aching joints and bones. A dear friend said she finds it helps her, so I thought, why not? When I googled it, it said it was good for digestion and gut health and may support immune function.

Question 1: Have or do any of you use this bone broth and what is your opinion?

The almond and cashew milk are simply to lower my use of dairy products. I love whole milk, but sometimes I think I may be lactose intolerant or possibly just on occasion? So I thought I'd add these other dairy free milks to my diet. 

Question 2: Have or do any of you use these alternative milks and what is your opinion?




...and lastly, I haven't used this yet, but my doctor recommended me trying an over-the-counter B-12 supplement since my B-12 was very low on our last well check visit.  So I bought these which are supposed to be taken one a day and dissolve under your tongue...



Question 3:  Any one take or have taken these?

I'm not a pill taker. Except for Tylenol when needed for a headache (do get ocular migraines), the only pills I take are a daily D-3 (again low occasionally on blood tests) and a daily (Macuhealth) for my eyes (recommended by my Eye Doctor). The reason for this is that I simply feel that unless one has a severe problem that is life-threatening (in which case meds are definitely necessary), eating well for the most part should be enough (IMO). 

That's it for me. I'd love to hear your comments if you have any concerning my questions. If not, that's OK too...

And I have to share one other thing with you before I go. I got the wordle in 2 yesterday!  First time to ever get it in 2!!




It takes so little these days to amaze me...


Hugs (virtual),

Rian




 


22 comments:

  1. Sadly with not one but two chronic medical conditions I am a pill taker. Somedays it feels as if I should rattle when I move. Big sigh.
    I like dairy free milks - except in tea. I dislike it intensely there - though I am yet to try oat milk.
    good luck - and I love your pop-up cards.

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    1. So far EC, I find almond milk and cashew milk OK... but nothing works for me in tea but evaporated milk (which is what my family always used in tea after the war - so it's all I've ever known). I've tried whole milk in tea - but no go. And I've not tried oat milk yet.

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  2. I did get yesterday's Wordle, but it took me all six tries. But the day before I got it in 2 (shine). It sure makes a difference what letters come up for me to play with. I drink soy milk and haven't actually tried cashew milk but my friend Mel loves it. I take a massive number of vitamins and many are for my AMD, but sometimes I start one and keep it going for no apparent reason. I'm afraid to stop because I might get sick! Now I'm hankering for a bit of cheesecake, but I'll probably let the desire fade away...

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    1. I'm allergic to soy, so soy milk is out. Almond and cashew are OK... haven't tried oat milk yet. The Macuhealth is for my eyes. I apparently have something that can become AMD if I'm not careful, so my eye doctor basically threatened me to get me to take these pills. (and I have to admit that I don't always take any of these pills daily... but I try).

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  3. After falling in the kitchen 2 years ago and shattering my arm, I discovered my bones are hollow or something. I am debating following my doctor's recommendation on daily injections for bone health (seems extreme) but in the meantime I am taking 2 calcium tablets with Vitamin C a day and make my own bone broth. This way I can add the spices i want. My daughter who knows everything (she is actually getting her doctorate in nursing in August) drinks a lot of bone broth herself, from the store because I guess she has inherited my bird bones.
    I know what you mean about cooking. We were pretty newly retired in March 2020 and I assumed we would be doing many early bird dinners in local restaurants. Instead we ended up buying a freezer and purchasing beef quarters from a young man formerly in my 4-H club. I love to cook, just not every single solitary night!!!!

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    1. Daily injections seem extreme to me also... but since I'm not a doctor, this is only my opinion. We don't eat a lot of red meat... some fish, some chicken, and occasionally pork. The only red meat we eat is the ground chuck I use in hamburgers or stew.

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  4. Regarding bone broth: My naturopath had me on it through the fall and winter, though not being a cook, I bought instant bone broth from the organic section of our grocery store. It was okay, I didn't notice any difference in my gut to be honest, but I'm still dealing with issues, so probably am not the best to offer an opinion. I say go for it, unless it doesn't agree with you.

    With regard to milk alternatives, I've been off all dairy for over a year now, so use almond or cashew milk in my limited baking, as well as for coffee. It's hit and miss with brands; I recently found a brand I like for coffee, from the cold section of the grocery store. Pricey but "richer" in texture than the tetra-pack stuff I normally buy. (Califia is the brand, I believe.)

    Note that it could be the casein protein in dairy that causes you issues (that's the case for me), not lactose. I did a little bit of reading about it last summer and I think it's more common than we realize.

    I don't take B12, but I recently started taking a non-acidic brand of vitamin C (hard to come by, only a couple of brands are non-acidic), as well as vitamin D drops (good quality). I'd like to start taking more supplements again, but I'll have to ask the naturopath about that, as the usual drugstore stuff might not be good for my SIBO. I AM a big proponent of supplements, though, because unless you're growing your own food and getting any meat and/or dairy from a local, trusted farmer, food is filled with chemicals and heaven knows what, and I just don't think we get the nutrition we need. Perhaps, though, that's because I so loathe cooking and tend to buy more fresh ready-made salads and meals from delis than cook for myself.

    Congrats on getting the Wordle, btw!

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    1. The Pacific organic bone broth tastes pretty good. But I haven't been using it long enough to notice any benefits. I probably should be off dairy as I'm not sure if it's a problem or not yet - I really like organic whole milk for the taste as well as the Calcium and Vit D. But I'm cutting back by using the almond and cashew milk lately.
      We do buy our meat and veggies from Central Market - organic , hormone free, etc. - We use fresh veggies, never canned and I (personally - not the boys) have been gluten free for about a year. Does it help? Not sure.

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  5. I became lactose intollerant in my 70's after drinking milk all my life. I found the unsweetened cashew milk the closest in taste and drink it with all my meals.
    I do take a lot of meds for chronic health conditions and take D3 and Biotin vitamins.

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    1. Just started the unsweetened cashew milk. It's OK... maybe a little better than almond IMO... but both are OK. Haven't tried oat milk yet. Will try to stay off meds as long as I can, but realize that at 77, some meds may be necessary as time goes on.

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  6. I have been using bone broth for about 18 months now. I am most fortunate to have relatively few aches and pains in joints at my age -- don't know that the bone broth is responsible but why mess with success? I don't do much dairy because I really don't like it. I use oat milk on my cereal and in smoothies. I mix collogen into my morning coffee, take a multivitamin and extra biotin for hair and nails. I take medication for high blood pressure and mild depression -- which I every now and then think I don't need but if I stop taking it, I find out that I do. I think I eat well, but I also hedge my bets with the supplements! On the other hand, I don't even own any Tylenol.

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    1. Olga, I plan to try oat milk next. The doctors told me to go to Tylenol for my headaches years ago when I used to use aspirin. Apparently I bled a lot with surgeries due to the aspirin. Anyway, Tylenol works well and I don't need to use it often.

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  7. I take vitamin D and Vitamin B12. I found a jar of Vitmamin C and started taking that and ended up having joint aches. When I researched I found that Vitamin C is not recommended if you have osteoporosis and that is can cause joint pain, It WAS are rather large dose.

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    1. Tabor, has anyone mentioned bone broth to you? It supposedly is good for bone health. And I am leery of taking anything in large quantities.

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  8. I take D3, doctor's orders, but no B's. And, bone broth of any kind gags me. I also don't drink milk and haven't tried any of the other substitutes. So, I'm completely useless here.

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    1. Joanne, I'm surprised that you don't take meds for your bone health. Do you not drink milk because you don't care for it? With your fractures, I would think the doctors must have you on something. I know you take pain meds, but nothing to build up your bones?

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  9. I take D3 because of my osteoporosis, and B12 since my last doctor appt. Never had bone broth but do drink chocolate almond milk. I love whole milk too and could drink a glass with every meal.

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    1. What brand B12 do you take, Henny... if you don't mind my asking.

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  10. I remember GECKO!!!
    AS for your questions, I have tried bone broth ...not bad. But milk?!! Here it's gotta be the real thing. HEB Mootopia. Especially the chocolate. Just like drinking a milkshake. (It's lactose free)

    Love your cards (and loved Oahu)

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    1. I will try Mootopia... eventually as I'm not sure if the lactose bothers me or not. I have avoided my normal Central Market Organic whole milk (which is really good) since I'm in a flare-up at the moment and avoiding dairy.

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  11. I've made bone broth and it's very tasty. Ahhh... you just reminded me to do WORDLE. I was stuck this morning with three words already tried.

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    1. I buy bone broth, but I too find it 'tasty'...

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