Dear Family,

It has...ahem...come to my attention that some family members would prefer not to wade through lengthy article excerpts concerning, say, gut dysbiosis and its effect on neuromuscular occlusion...when all they really want is to read the cute things that Jem and Ben said this week.

Therefore and henceforth, my updates will begin with Family News and Isms, followed by fascinating-article reviews and op ed content. I hope this will prove more user-friendly; let me know what you think. :)

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Dear Family,

Is it possible that meat-eating can be ecologically sustainable, even compared with a vegan diet? Is it healthy to regularly and copiously eat meat? Is it true that my new diet, full of saturated fat, cholesterol, and animal flesh (as well as very few carbs), lots of broths and fermented veggies/dairy, might actually be even _more_ healthy than the whole-foods vegetarian regimen I consumed, Before?

Dear Family,

Jemmerisms:

Looking deeply into my eyes: “There are two Jems in there! See them?”

In NJ, enjoying the carpet: “I'm gonna hop up the fuzzy stairs!”

Staring wistfully out the window, over the mountains, while Ben and he and I discuss the far ranging nature of Sky: “I want to go FAR away.”

Stomping down the path: “That's the sound of the crunchy snow... I like it!”

“I wanna be a train driving on tracks--'cause I wanna drive on tracks.”

I just started reading “Righteous Porkchop,” by Nicolette Hahn Niman, which chronicles Niman's adventures as an environmental attorney who begins her career by investigating the non-glamorous and severe problem of hog manure pollution on factory farms. The book's first surprise (for me) came on the first page, in the forward by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.: a searing indictment of the CAFO/factory farming meat industry. It contains passages like this one:

Dear Family,

“Tooth decay is not only unnecessary, but an indication of our divergence from Nature's fundamental laws of life and health.”
--Weston Price

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There are always interesting things to read around here, like the current issue of _Academe: Magazine of the American Association of University Professors_. Among other related content is “Diagnosing Conflict-of-Interest Disorder: Big Pharma works in subtle but powerful ways inside the pages of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.” http://www.aaup.org/AAUP/pubsres/academe/2010/ND/feat/cosg.htm

http://www.math.cornell.edu/~gaarder/east-hill-flood.jpg

Take a look at the crazy flooding in Ithaca this week!

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I've just started reading a new cookbook! It's called “Full Moon Feast,” by Jessica Prentice, and last night I adapted the Swedish Meatballs recipe for dinner. They were delicious: http://www.lifeisapalindrome.com/recipes/swedish-meatballs

This is a growing collection of favorite resources relating to the GAPS dietary protocol.

Please send suggestions and additions for this list!
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BOOKS:

"Gut and Psychology Syndrome," by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride.

"Breaking the Vicious Cycle," by Elaine Gottschall.

"The GAPS Guide," by Baden Lashkov.

"Cooking Provence," by Antoine Bouterin (A cookbook focusing on amazingly delicious French dishes, many of which can be GAPS-ified).

...or, What I Wish Someone Had Told Me in April 2010
by Sarabeth Matilsky

This is obviously biased by my family's experiences, but I'm hopeful that it will help you as you craft your own, unique health-promoting GAPS diet plan. This article will be updated as needed--please send me suggestions!)

Dear Family,

“How easy and delightful life might be if we could do this, if when we had attained the position we wished, we might rest on our oars and watch the ripples on the stream of life.”

--Laura Ingalls Wilder, “Little House in the Ozarks: The Rediscovered Writings”

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Classes are in full-swing, here at Sara University. Some of my graduate courses, like “Healing the whole family,” and “Starting to Learn Who Your Child _Really_ Is,” and “Organ Meats 101,” are not part of any major I ever thought I'd pursue with such passion.