I'm either going to die in the next 5 seconds or live forever.

I'm a vegetarian who drinks raw milk and home brewed kombucha.   Depending on who you ask - government or over zealous health food advocate I'm done for...or I will live forever.  I suspect neither is terribly accurate.

I was looking up something on Kombucha.  According to WebMd (the webs leading source on why you are about to die)

Did some research (I googled stuff) and while anthrax does live in the wild you are more likely to catch it FROM ANY INTERACTION WITH COWS AND OTHER FARM TYPE CRITTERS.  The spores can come inside on shoes/feet and they can get into your kombucha, or fridge, or plate of food on the counter.  So should farmers quit farming because of the high risk of anthrax??  Or is the risk simply not that high and people only use it to illustrate why you should buy into big business?  Guess where my money is.

But obviously it's poison!  People have died from it.  In the case cited most often two women were made very sick - 19 years ago.  One died. One didn't.  Both had been drinking stuff made with the same scoby.  In the ensuing 19 years lots and lots and lots of people have died from big pharma or "food" that the government is all for us consuming.  We can eat the heck out of twinkies and guzzle gallons of corn syrup goodness in the form of soda, but this drink that's been around thousands of years is probably unsafe for most adults.  I know WebMd isn't officially the government, but I have long suspected a relationship between them, the fda & big pharma.  Too much pushing of too many chemicals and all the natural stuff is called suspect.

No, drinking kombucha hasn't fixed any and all of my medical issues.  I still struggle with my weight, I still have gout, I still need reading glasses.  But I enjoy drinking it and making it, so I do.

Then there is raw milk.  I choose to spend a bit more on milk so that I can

1)buy from a small family who is trying to make a living by doing things the right way without hormones, chemicals of gmo feed

2)drink milk from cows that ate GRASS.  Not corn, not anything unnatural for a cow to eat.

3)have no growth hormones in my milk

4) drink milk I can actually enjoy.  Until raw milk I had not had a glass since I was 5.  I detest the stuff sold at grocery stores.  This tastes different.

Again, I should be dead according to the fda.  But I can math.  The risk is low.  Chris maths better than I do and he did all the numbers.  Check out his article here.

http://chriskresser.com/raw-milk-reality-is-raw-milk-dangerous

My reasons for starting to use raw milk were a bit different from most.  I did because they said I shouldn't.  I'm just a rebel that way. I found that I really enjoy the taste and I have continued to buy it.

I do find that having a glass of milk before my workout really gives me extra energy.  Might work with conventional milk too, but I hate the stuff so I'll never test it to find out.

The whole vegetarian thing was in response to gout.  There are few things I fear more than another gout flare up, so I am trying this whole eat super healthy thing.  I apparently don't fear being obese and unhealthy as much as I fear gout, since in the past staying on the clean eating path has been hard.  Intense pain is a great motivator so I eat much better these days.  I've not had a flare up since - but it's only been a couple of months, so time will tell if I can avoid medication with diet.

Where the diet is

It's been a little while since I went vegetarian and it's not always easy.  I do still have the occasional craving for meat and at first I was eating too much cheese.

Actually at first I was just plain eating too much.  As the weeks have progressed I have noticed that I need to cut back on the amount of produce I am buying.  We simply are not eating it all.  I'm spending less and we're wanting to eat less.  This is NOT true if we've had junk food or eaten out.  Then cravings start and the overall food consumption goes up.

I'm sure my family missed the meat and I do cook them some - just not a lot.  I'm not a fan of cooking two meals for the same dinner.  They don't cook - therefore we eat vegetarian.  If one of them wants to learn, then I'll have to find a way to make do with what they cook.  (never ever going to happen - not in a million years )

I've started making/growing my own

yogurt
butter
ice cream
sprouts
kombucha
beet greens

Next up is tofu and as soon as i get a crock - sauerkraut  mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

raw milk in my fridge

I've been drinking raw milk (what the butter was made with but not the yogurt)  which comes from grass fed cows and eggs from truly free range chickens.  Saw them all over the farm, no cages for these girls.  Overall I feel pretty good.  The changes have been very positive for me.

I've also discovered foods I didn't know I liked.  I didn't know I liked milk until I drank raw milk.  Tried a new way to cook beet greens and I am in love.  I am now attempting to grow some more from the tops of beets.  Sprouts really fill out a salad.  I already made my own tortillas (corn) but have found new and wonderful ways to fill them with tarziki sauce and veggies, or peppers and spices.  The change has made me very creative

Beet greens in the making - I hope

The gout flare up that triggered this diet change has never 100% gone away, it's not painful, just twingy and it does get much worse after I cheat or eat processed food.  It's under control enough that I don't want to cut my own foot off.  I don't need pain meds and I can wear actual shoes.  Most of the time I just feel a twinge and think "Oh yeah, I have gout in that joint"

freshly made butter

Hopefully diet changes will help, so will exercise and weight loss.  My goal is to control this without taking medications.  pain or otherwise.

I miss meat, but I don't regret giving it up.  I like where I am headed.

alfalfa sprouts

Kombucha scoby

Kombucha on my hair

I'm doing my best to live the "no-poo" lifestyle.  Baking soda on my hair and  vinegar for conditioner.

I've also trying to make kombucha.  Started a scoby from commercial kombucha.  It's ready for me to try  my first batch and the starter liquid is pretty much vinegar.

so instead of apple cider vinegar I tried that.  I LOVE it.  My hair looks great.  Better than with the plain vinegar.

I'm not chemical free.  I do still color my hair.  I just decided to reduce where I could and the shampoo/conditioner was one way to do that.

I'll update after I've used it for a week or so with a more informed opinion and some photos.