You may have noticed some changes here at Dimes2Vines. These changes are not limited to the appearance of the blog but also include the content.
While I have always considered us to be a healthy family, it was not until I was introduced to the GAPS diet and my results were so amazing with the dietary changes, that I really put two and two together. There is a definite correlation between what we eat and our physical health. Our health is directly related to our gut health – specifically the “good” gut bacteria. (If you are overrun with “bad” bacteria in your gut, they release toxins which can cause a host of physical symptoms.) This is how I stumbled upon Real Food Media which is a network of bloggers dedicated to traditional eating of real, whole foods, not processed or fake, but the real stuff – butter, raw milk, pasture fed meats, pastured chickens …. Maybe it would be better to explain it in their own words:
Real Food Media is the first and only blog network dedicated to organic and natural foods. We publish stories about food and cooking, food politics, farming and producing food, health and nutrition, and green living.
I am so excited to have joined this group of bloggers. With our lifestyle change from the corporate life we had in Alabama to starting a vineyard here in West Texas, we have already been doing much of what they advocate.
While I have played with the idea to begin another blog which would center around traditional foods, I have decided not to at this time. Dimes2Vines was begun at the end of January 2009 with a desire to share our family’s lifestyle changes, money saving ideas and to encourage others to make the most of where they find themselves. That vision has not changed. The changes that you may have already noticed in information shared and recipes for ferments or recipes which now use traditional (real) ingredients, such as, butter, olive/coconut oil, and honey, rather than margarine, vegetable oils and the like, are part of our family’s adventure also.
You may be wondering how more traditional eating fits into frugal living and money saving. There are frugal ways to eat real foods that nourish your bodies. We have our own family milk cow, drink raw milk and make our own cheese, we garden and raise as much of our own food as possible (hopefully, even more when the greenhouse is completed!), have our own chickens and raise and butcher our own pasture fed beef. Others have access to farmer’s markets and can freeze/can their own food. Kefir, kombucha, sauerkraut and fermented carrots are all very economical sources of probiotics for your family which you can make in your own kitchen. For others, it is is a matter of saving in other areas and spending as necessary for nutrient dense foods. After the pain relief and return to health that I have experienced, as well as, the behavioral changes in our children that have occurred as a direct result of our dietary changes, we can’t afford NOT to continue with this new way of eating!
I know life is expensive no matter how frugal you are. But, with a large family, I have found there is much I can do at home to nourish my family and still stay within the allotted budget. I hope to encourage you to do the same as we share our family’s adventures together from our vineyard to gardening and from building our new home to wholesome eating!
