Julia Winter

I just went back to the dentist two days ago, for a 6 month recheck and cleaning.  I had gone years without seeing a dentist and I think I was having temperature sensitivity - that's what inspired me to go in the spring.  

At my first visit, they were telling me about too deep pockets in my gums (I don't remember the numbers, but maybe 3 and 4 mm) and mostly exclaiming that my enamel was quite worn and did I maybe grind my teeth? They wanted to make sure I wasn't using a toothpaste with clay or other polishing substances that might be wearing away at my tooth enamel.

I'm not sure if I 'fessed up to brushing my teeth with hydrogen peroxide.  I've been doing it for decades, eventually locating and buying food-grade H2O2 that I dilute 10:1 with distilled water.  Over the years I'd moved from using just drops of it to swigging maybe half an ounce and swishing that around before brushing.  It makes my teeth *so* smooth and slippery, and really blocks tartar formation.

After that visit, I did some more research on H2O2 and teeth and this time I found evidence that H2O2 damages tooth enamel. (I'd looked for information probably 20 years ago, but it was harder to find in those days.)  I couldn't stop using it, my teeth feel gross in the morning if I don't, but I backed off to less than 1mL again, which honestly is plenty to make a nice foam and clean my teeth. I'm using a baking soda tooth powder, also sprinkled on the toothbrush bristles.

Well, at my return visit, I got no lecturing about my tooth enamel being dangerously thin and they didn't ask if I grind my teeth.  The hygienist went all through my mouth measuring the depth of my gums, and it was lots of 2-1-2 instead of higher numbers.  She did say I need to pay more attention to the back side of my upper incisors.

One thing they recommended at my first visit to use in lieu of flossing was these plastic scrubby toothpicks. (GUM soft-picks, they are white and green.)  I hesitate to mention them as they're not very "permie," but I think they were an important part of the changes I made.  In my defense, I think the package I bought will last me possibly the rest of my life as I'm not throwing them away after one use, I'm using more like one a week.  I now have the original sample (in a little paper envelope) the dentist gave me in my purse, very convenient for when I feel like there's something stuck in my teeth and I'm out and about!

Anyway, hydrogen peroxide is like magic in terms of knocking back bacteria, but it is strong, and damaging to tooth enamel over time, so go easy on the quantities.  (Oh, and I do NOT recommend using it on wounds, unless your fear of infection outweighs any concerns about scarring.  Hydrogen peroxide kills everything, including healthy skin cells.)

It looks like this is a deep freeze that requires manual defrosting.  If you have a freezer that doesn't automatically defrost, freezer "burn" is far less of a problem.

These can be hard to find.  Most people will accept the food damage in exchange for the convenience of never having to clear out and defrost your freezer.  

Good things come to those who forgo convenience!

I'm glad you made the front page!  I went and looked and had a hard time scrolling past the arguments about the 4000 sq ft house.

OK, I scrolled further down, and I did some upvoting, but there's so much noise, it's hard for me to engage.

Congratulations, though, it's good to reach out.

I've been fermenting for a while - sauerkraut, ginger carrots, green tomatoes, and last year my daughter and I made pretty authentic kimchi, which was a whole thing, but I don't have the requisite pictures of that process.  So, I will share a very simple ferment with you: kvass.

Kvass can be several things, but I'm using it to denote simply fermented beets.  I always end up eating the chunks of salty beet pickles, but the main product is the deeply colored liquid.  It's so deeply colored that just a little bit makes a whole glass of kvass, and it's not even salty when you dilute it that much.

So, it's just chunks of red beet in a salt brine.  I make the salt brine by putting a couple of tablespoons of salt in a measuring cup, then add very hot water to dissolve, then add cold water to dilute to, um, medium salty.  More salty than chicken soup, but not crazy salty.  Then, I take my organic beet that I've washed and cut into chunks, load up a jar, add enough brine to cover and add a weight to keep the veggie chunks submerged.  A lid with an airlock lets it breathe, and then you wait.

When it's ready, you just pour out the liquid a little at a time and drink it greatly diluted.  It's a great thing for my daily fast (I eat OMAD - between 6pm and 9pm, generally) as it's quite low carb/low calorie but very flavored.

Greg Judy is the bomb.  Love his work, love to watch him tell his story:

Oh wow, Aimee - I'm impressed! I'm fine with watching people eat during the day, but I haven't gotten to the point where I can sit at the table during my usual eating window and not eat.

I have often cooked during my fast time, and it's annoying not to taste, but I've always started tasting at 6pm.  (Lately, I've started stuffing myself at 6pm, that's why I'm gaining weight, I think!)

That sounds fascinating!  I don't see a picture, though.  Can you try again?

Two months later, I'm coming up on two years of eating one (solid) meal a day.  I still find this to be a good strategy.

However, I have gained weight - I think due to the COVID situation.  I've been told that some people who are tracking calories in and out carefully have found they are gaining weight lately, just from the stress.

I'm just wearing scrubs at work these days, so I don't know what size of non-stretchy work pants I'm in right now.  (I kind of don't want to know.)  

Yesterday I ate a bunch of nuts and then some beef jerky staying late at work and when I got home we weren't having an organized meal (this is very unusual) so I just decided I would skip eating any more.  My stomach actually growled this morning, but I can't say I was suffering from hunger, more like I just noted the noise.

I still haven't gone more than 2 days without eating.  I think I would have to set up a retreat where I get away from my family to do a longer fast.  It's hard to skip that many meals, as we make a point of having a good dinner together every night (our kids are in 9th and 12th grades this year).

This is a cool idea!  Are you building an earthbag structure?

Inge Leonora-den Ouden wrote:Probably the crock pot is non-existing here too (like with Skandi in Denmark). So I don't have one. I never made caramelized onions, I always sauté them (or stir fry).
Maybe I can make caramelized onions in the oven? Can someone explain me how to do that, please?

I think in the oven, you'd start with a medium hot oven, sliced onions and fat in a casserole dish, with the lid on, until the onions are translucent.  Then turn the heat way down and maybe turn the lid sideways.  (I'm a little nervous that no lid in an oven might dry things out too much.)  Check it every half hour or so, stirring once an hour.