Re-Starting, Thinking of Supplements, Cutting Down on Dairy, New Cookbook

[EdnaMarie]

We moved house about nine months ago.

DH and I finally agreed on a separation and eventual divorce plan that will, we hope, the best for the kids.

I am totally re-assessing everything and I've also taken on several new activities. Nutrition has suffered MASSIVELY. Pre-school started for DD1, etc.

So I am re-starting my whole meal-planning thing. We do something akin to "Real Food" / Traditional Foods, but in moderation.

Now I am starting to look into supplementation and stricter meal planning.

I am presently taking magnesium (thanks to a tip from a lady here--I forgot your handle but WOW, changed my life, thanks!), a B12 complex, both from the grocery store because I somehow felt compelled to buy NOW and not over-research at that point. It was a good decision. But now, I have several questions:

1. What is the best brand for magnesium and B complex vitamins? In general? Where do you buy it online? In Europe?

2. What is your nutritious-eating recipe bible? Not Laurel's Kitchen or Diet for a Small Planet. I have those and while they are great resources, it's not to my taste. I'm not a vegetarian anymore. I can't be one, no, really, I come from about 50 generations of meat-eaters (19 of which we have on record) and I am just not evolved for that.

3. If you cut down on dairy, how did you do it? I am a Dairy Queen but I think it may have contributed to a magnesium deficiency.

4. I need someone to test my vitamin, mineral, etc. levels in Rheinland Pfalz. I am NOT into homeopathy. I want someone with a more ayurvedic / nutritionist orientation. Tips?

Okay, thanks.

[mbravebird]

1. For magnesium you can supplement a couple of different ways -- skin and internally. You can absorb more through the skin than you can internally. Through the skin, you can do epsom salts baths (which is magnesium sulfate, which also supports your sulfate detox pathway, which is a good thing) or magnesium oil (which is magnesium chloride). You can make your own oil by ordering nigari flakes and following a recipe for that.

Internally, I've heard most folks talk about magnesium citrate as helpful. That's what I've used internally. I use the Natural Calm brand. It is very very alkaline, though, so causes some nausea in some folks, and could be rough on your stomach/digestion. But it might be easier for you than a bath or the oil, depending on your preference.

I buy from iherb or Vitacost. Nigari flakes I ordered from Amazon. Epsom salts are at the grocery store, or in bulk at a feed store.

2. I haven't found a reliable TF recipe bible, but I usually take meals that I like and convert them. I love Cook's Illustrated recipes for taste, but they often need to be converted to TF. But subscribing to Cook's Illustrated will give you wonderful ideas and make your mouth water, and then you can just tweak the recipes. Grassfed Gourmet has good recipes, Full Moon Feast has some good recipes. Nourishing Traditions seems hit or miss, but worth the purchase.

3. Often hard to cut down on dairy unless you have to -- at least for me (wistful sigh). If you aren't having a negative reaction, why not just up your magnesium? Would switching to raw dairy help you with your absorption issues?

Hope this transition period settles for you and goes well.

[EdnaMarie]

Can't afford raw dairy right now. If it weren't for WIC, we wouldn't even be able to afford organic. But we used to drink raw. I don't know--I didn't feel anything near this drastic.

As for CI, it sounds great but I want to master a few recipes, not constantly be learning new ones. I have some good ones but I want to expand a bit to incorporate more TF and more nutrients, as mine are mainly traditional from agrarian societies and very heavy on the grain and light on the veggies.

So you do Vitacost, eh? I saw one recommendation for Thorne's vitamins here but they weren't on Vitacost, though we usually shop there for supplements. I will look at iherb.

Thanks so much!!!