Eating Better with (CKD) Health & Money Issues

... And on a budget - if what I live on can be called a budget. It's more like a fudge-it.

I have been so focused on food lately that I can hardly think about anything else. When the average American - I'm talking about those in average-to-decent health - worries about the additives and potential toxins in food, people with certain health issues are making serious life decisions whenever they grocery shop. For the record, I have CKD 3b and, of course, neurosarcoidosis - which led to the CKD...

Thankfully, I have finally found a few resources for better food. Of course, better food often means more expensive food. I decided that it's worth eating a lot less on a safer diet than continuing making my health issues worse. A big gripe I have is that I have had almost no help from anyone on my healthcare team. I see 3 different doctors on a regular basis, but I have spent hours over the last few weeks compiling information on my own. 

I want to share what I have found for myself since it may encourage others to do their own research. Check with your doctors (if they will help) and research, research, research. My brain isn't always up to handling the information so I'm lucky to have neighbors and family to help out.

Foods I can and can't have (or have to limit)

I'm trying to do more fish, fruits and veggies. Also, I am more careful about the coffee/tea I drink and what I put in them. Although, I have been doing iced coffee with cream on the days I don't eat much. Is that a decent swap???

Because I really do like my fruits and veggies... I have to watch (mainly) for things high in potassium (so much in a lot of fruit/veggies!); phosphorous (dairy, sodas, nuts and - this covers so much: processed foods); sodium (more processed food and canned stuff, frozen, etc. - aka convenience); and calcium (oranges/OJ) because it can cause deposits. I am great about not drinking any soda. I prefer a sparkling water every now and then.

Source

I have been making a lot of my own bread with French flour. I love eating cereal and oatmeal, so I have to put those in my notebook with warnings.... And I have gotten back to preferring dairy milk over plant based. Oh boy.

Allowable (some with limits)

• Apples - Honeycrisp (my fave) Granny Smith (meh), Gala and Golden Delicious (ok, but boring).
• Berries - Rasp., blue, straw, and black.
• Watermelon - the safest melon because it's low in potassium 
• Seedless Yellow Melon
• Pineapple - I really don't love this unless I can mix it with apple juice!
• Dried fruit - raisins, dates etc. BTW, I love date and figs....
• Avocado - yum
• Mango - double yum
• Kiwi - they can keep that
• Cantaloupe - triple yum
• Pears - yay!
• Salmon (wild caught and with limits)
• Cauliflower - I have learned to make fake mash potatoes & love it
• Red bell pepper - great stuffed with garlic, onions and greens
• Cabbage - love the steaks but get bored with it
• Onions - I can roast an onion with garlic and be happy 
• Radishes- this should not even exist
• Cucumbers - good but gets boring
• Collard Greens - I love, love, love -but have to limit...

To be fair, I could have some really nice tropical fruits (if I can afford them) - even if I have to limit some of them

• Guava
• Papaya
• Lychee
• Cherimoya
• Mangosteen
• Cactus Pears
• Red and Yellow Dragon fruit - which is great because they have more flavor than the plain ones (which are super bland, IMO)
• Feijoas (cannot was to try these)
• Candy Hearts Grapes (ditto!)
• Royal Vine Grapes (ditto ditto!)
• Moon Drop Grapes (yep, ditto!)

I found some of these more exotic fruits over at Melissa's, Good Hill Farms, Miami Fruit, and Tropical Fruit Box. There are some other places as well. Problem is that some of the good stuff is out of my moolah range.

As far as meat and seafood, I am trying to stick with fish and stay away from red meat. It's tough because I am no longer in Alaska. Back home, my family loved fishing and our freezers were all stocked year-round with salmon, trout, hooligan, etc. All wild-caught. Here in the Midwest, I really have to shop around. I do not love Tilapia (most common in stores), although I can handle cod... Salmon is my favorite and I have to limit it - not hard when good, wild caught salmon is hard to find.

Source

I think the thing that bothers me the most is that, so much of our easily available and mostly affordable food is not good even for mostly healthy folks.

One solution I have found is finding grocers service Euro expats. Where I live, there is not a lot of diversity, but one of my doctors is 2 hours away. I have found several specialty grocers and stores in his area. So, I will have to budget fiercely and get as much as I can during the trips to the bigger cities. And still money is an issue. I am having to watch every penny I spend in the meantime so that I can stock up when I go to those other grocers.

Another solution I've come up with is to shop some of the local farms with a decent driving distance from where I live. That's going to be a lifesaver because these folks have a lot of clean veggies, chicken, fresh eggs, honey, and although I have to limit them milk and eggs. The good thing about that is I can split those items with my family.

The next thing on my list is to find some good authentic olive oils and condiments (I recently watched a video about olive oil). I guess I am just really frustrated. It should be easier to eat better. I'm already making most of my own baked goods - bread and rolls and the rare cake - using an imported flour. 

Source

One practice I use (and highly recommend) is keeping a notebook to track your specific needs. Not just if you have health issues, but even if you are trying to avoid the toxic and nasty ingredients that is allowed in so much of our food! 

I have a specific notebook where I keep a list of foods and beverages that are and are not healthy for me. I list the restrictions on daily nutrients I have to pay attention to. I also list places (local and online) where I can find the things I need. This really helps for grocery shopping. 

The notebook is so useful because there is so much information to be aware of and my memory is crap. It's helpful for family when planning my visits to them. What I need to be better at is keeping regular track of my intake. I use some apps, but they are not always handy, and I am not always diligent. So far, it has been easier for me to eat a lot of the same things on a rotation. For instance, I know that I can do a portion of salmon or cod with cauliflower and broccoli. I have other set meals like that for which I know the general amount to eat to stay within limits. It's boring but easy.

Source

It's a shame that so many of us with serious conditions don't have access to a nutritionist. So, you have to do the best you can with what you can afford. 

I hope that anyone else trying to eat better - especially because of serious health issues - will be encouraged. Research what you should and should have. Try to find better sources of consumables - even if you have to go online or take a drive. It's frustrating and expensive, but it might save you some health issues.

Peace

-- Free

DISCLAIMER: I am not a doctor and don't even play one on TV. I have zero medical or any other healthcare training. In this blog, I simply share my experiences. I have 2 very important things to say to anyone reading this (or anything online):

1. DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH and
2. Talk to your healthcare providers before doing anything that could affect your health.

Food Watching

 I am working on another page called Food Watching. This one is about the foods we Americans see in stores. I am really mad about what junk ingredients may have been doing to my health. Here is the first rendering of the new page. I will be doing updates.

 I've had other pages here dealing with eating better and being healthier, but I'm starting this page and one to be updated more regularly.

Our food situation is embarrassing. We are being sold consumables with ingredients that other countries won't touch. I don't know a way to fix that. I am trying to keep track of information and sources that help me make better choices.

For a while, I might do updates on this post as well.

Uncategorized (for now) Sources:

• GroceryDB - you can check on various foods to see how processed they are. The system is still confusing to me, but the lower the "processing score" the better. They have things in categories and here is a page on Breads. I will get more info on this site soon - like how to use the Compare option.
• EWG - great resource & as with the above, the lower the score, the better, but I have to Google something and add EWG to get the right page. On the other hand, I am an idiot. This is the Dirty Dozen list of food chemical to say no to... They also have a YT channel
• Cornucopia - I like the motto. You can go down several rabbit holes from their research page. I did.

YouTube Channels:

• Dishclosure was the first channel I got hooked on. They usually give you a list of several "worst" things, then end with some better options.
• All Foods Uncovered
• Built to Eat
• In Plain Bite
• The Visual Scientist has a food playlist.

That's it for now. I will update as I am able. In the meantime this is something in my own cabinet (though it won't be from now on).

Not only does this have the additives, 
it contains GMOs...

This is a local/regional brand "Our Family"

Cold Brew to the Rescue?

 Why did I have to just now learn how tasty cold brewed coffee is??? 

For the longest time, I have tried to drink black coffee. I can stomach it if it's made with Luzianne (the red bag). I can almost stomach it when made with any brand if I add a bit of allulose, but I don't love the heck out of it... 

Yesterday, I decided to try my hand at making cold brew. That's because I happened to have some leftover coarse ground Gevalia a visiting relative left behind. I figured if it didn't turn out, I still had a lot left to make French press coffee.

Here's the screenshot of what I Googled for instructions:

I eyeballed the coffee-water ratio

I used a large Mason jar and let the grounds steep overnight - about 14 hours because I forgot about it. It was a real pain in the rear to strain it. I used a regular strainer lined with a coffee filter. That took a while. Finally, I let it rest a few minutes in the fridge so any tiny sediment could settle. And then I took a little taste. Left behind or not, any coffee is too good to waste so I was sure hoping it turned out at least decently.

Y'all, it turned out. It really turned out good. 

Totally dark and lovely

At first, I added plain cream (habit), but later I did some full black - no cream or sugar. Goodness me. This is black coffee I can really enjoy. The cream diminished the tastiness I like in this coffee.

The flavor really comes through. I got a lot of the rich and nutty/chocolate noted in the coffee's profile. There was ZERO bitterness or aftertaste. I can't be more impressed.

This is really what I need right now because I'm trying to eat better (and less after 7pm). Being able to drink coffee was always key to my intermittent fasting. I could never enjoy it without at least having some cream. This way, loving the caffeine out of some black coffee!

Anyway, I hope that this encourages or helps anyone else trying to enjoy black coffee. Good luck and good sipping!

Peace

--Free

Hydrogen Water Bottles - Yay or Nay?

Because I am desperate for natural ways to heal my body and better my health, I sometimes fall down internet rabbit holes. That is what happened when a visitor of one of my neighbors mentioned her own hydrogen therapy. She is well off enough that she actually has some kind of machine in her home. I am not well-to-do and am barely well-to-be, so I began looking into other ways to get/use hydrogen.

OVERVIEW

What his hydrogen in health care?

A: "the therapeutic use of molecular hydrogen gas for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, aiming to treat various diseases. It is used as a medical gas to treat illnesses related to oxidative stress by reducing harmful radicals, typically administered via inhalation, hydrogen-rich water (HRW), or saline injections" various sources including this one.

How to administer hydrogen:

There are 4 that I found (doing some straight on Googling!):

Hydrogen Inhalation: Frequently used in acute scenarios or studies for neurodegenerative and respiratory issues.

Hydrogen-Rich Water (HRW): A common, simple method for daily, at-home consumption.

Hydrogen-Rich Saline (HRS): Used for intravenous, ocular, or peritoneal injection.

Hydrogen Baths: Used for skin conditions and anti-inflammatory purposes.

What is it supposed to do?

WebMD goes into detail here but, some supposed benefits are weight loss (of course!) improved mental health, fatigue relief, and the other usual suspects. Healthline brought me to my senses. Otherwise, I might have been begging my family for one of the outrageously expensive home machines.

My Experience

Drinking hydrogen-rich water (HRW) was the only method within my reach. Hydrogen bottles are being hyped all over the place. I was offered a freebie to review (it has not & may not arrive), but I found an affordable one online. It was around $28 with a temporary discount. I snagged it.

Since I have been filtering my water with a gravity filter & haven't had to buy bottled water for almost 6 weeks, I have saved a bundle. I didn't realize exactly how much I was spending every week just to have water that wouldn't calcify my innards...

Why am I hoping for?

I would love to see improvement on my kidney function. If any other benefits happen, even better. Either way, God's will be done.

How did I choose one?

It was maddening. I wore my Googling finger out trying to learn what I could. I could have saved myself some time by reading the top of the first search page. My search term? what is a good quality hydrogen water bottle

The ones recommended underneath were total flops according to reviews - and they were pricey - surprise, surprise... 

The one I chose was a 4-star item, but I watched the videos to look for the bubbles. Plus, it was the right kind of glass and the right kind of price.

How does the bottle work?

The one I have is pretty simple. I fill it almost full with filtered water, then press the On button. A bunch of tiny mist-like bubbles appear, flowing from the bottom upwards. The bottle runs for a pre-set 5 minutes. When it finishes and I remove the top, I might hear a little "pop" of oxygen. I sometimes run it 2 cycles (releasing the pop of air in between).

The water stays "charged" with the dissolved hydrogen for up to 10 hours. The water does not really taste different to me - it just has a softer feel in my mouth, if that makes sense. 

Is it making a difference?

A: This is where it gets tricky. I have felt the occasional slight improvement in my fatigue levels and overall energy. What I don't know is how much that has to do with the water. I could be having a placebic experience.

I will have to use the bottle for a lot longer to be able to speak on weight loss or any of the other benefits. I get bloodwork done on a regular basis (the news last time was not great...) so maybe that will help me see improvement or a lack of.

General opinion - 

Don't look for the priciest ones. I know someone who got one for almost twice what I paid and... they ended up returning it and getting the one I have. 

Look for one that has a vent - my bottle has a tiny hole on the underside of the bottle. 

BTW- If I see any improvement in my lab work in the future, I will let you know. For now, I don't mind trying something that might help.

Peace

--Free

Disclaimers: I was not/have not/will not be compensated for any products mentioned here. I am not offering medical or health advice of any kind. Do your own research and speak to your health care team before trying anything you read about on the internet.

I Have to Vent. About a TV Show.

 This is so silly of me, but I have to vent about a TV series I've watched. The show is not a new one (I never watch new shows it seems) and started in 2005 and lasted 7 seasons. I just finished it and, to quote the lead character, "Oh, that woman!"

Kyra Sedgwick plays the main character who lives up to her reputation as "The Closer", by doing anything to close a murder investigation. And anything means anything. The woman is a complete and laser-focused hound when it comes to getting people to confess. And that is what could have made her kind of cool but, in my opinion, it made her totally unlikeable. 

You know how it's said that the most successful people in some careers are psychopaths? I've always thought that is probably true of most politicians, lawyers and, maybe, helicopter parents. I know it's true if this fictional character that I have no business thinking so much about...

I have convinced myself that the show creators tricked people. They made the lead character (Brenda) so horrible that viewers would watch each week just waiting for her to get less horrible. She never did. At the very end, I was left hoping that maybe she was going to be a better person in her future life. But I doubt it.

This woman - Brenda - was almost inhuman. Seriously. To the point where her own house could be about to catch fire and she'd ignore it and the people inside to answer a call about a murder. Nothing seemed to ever matter to her more than being The Closer - not her husband or her any of her blood family. 

Brenda might have been awful before becoming The Closer. She had zero friends to speak of. Her only past romantic interests were and ex-husband and a former lover (who'd been married at the time) who became her boss. The man she dated and later married must have liked being walked on by her little heels. She treated him like he was disposable the entire time they dated and when they got married, it got worse. I started out feeling sorry for him and ended up repulsed. 

The fact that her former lover/current boss remained as hot for her as her current husband makes me wonder if psychopaths have something special going on behind bedroom doors. Brenda surely was not wowing men with her appealing feminine wiles. She's not bad-looking but is built like a plank (though she has the boobs men love) and has the attitude of a drill sergeant. 

Understand that I am not invested in this character as if a fictional person could mean anything to me. What bothers me is that a show based around such a character was so massively popular - something I didn't know until I checked. 

And honestly, the longer I watched the show - you know, waiting for something to defrost Brenda's heart - the more I wondered about the actress. Don't get me wrong, I know almost nothing about Sedgwick's career. I don't think I've ever seen anything else she's been in. But I did wonder how someone could play such a dislikable character so well. 

It gives me the creeps now to think of how horrible Brenda is as a character. Why was she written to be so nasty and just, ew? By the last couple of episodes, when I was sure time had run out for Brenda to be more human, I realized that her eyes look black. 

The realization about the character's eyes kind of gave me the creeps. I went back to pan through some old episodes and, yep, the eyes were always very dark. I do think they got darker as the show went on.

Anyway, I'm now done watching the show, but it's one of the reasons I don't watch much TV. I think some programs are programming society to become comfortable with personalities of darkness.

Peace

--Free 

Cheap(er), Tasty & Filling Meals

 Like so many people lately, my neighbors and I have been talking about groceries. My neighbors are mostly 75 and up and I am in my mid 60s. We know something about stretching meals & eating cheaply. I want to share this with anyone trying to eat filling meals for as cheap as possible. I give thanks to my mother and my neighbors for sharing their wisdom.

There are some staple ingredients to keep around - like a barebones set for hard times. I will talk about those later. For now, here are some of the simple meals to think about.

A meal of beans and rice is so filling. (When I say "beans", unless I say otherwise, I am talking about pinto beans) 1 cup of beans and 1 cup of rice will feed 2 people for a day - maybe more, depending. You can season the beans with pizza sauce, onions, garlic, and spices. Serving the beans on top of the rice makes a warm and savory dish. This also works with navy beans and black-eyed peas.)

Rice by itself is versatile. You can eat it sweet or savory. You can have some of it with salt and pepper and some with butter and brown sugar. Cold rice can be served with sweet milk or heated up to eat with savory broth.

Cornbread is great to make and keep around. Regular cornbread (or pan cornbread) is simple to make with basic staple ingredients (see below). Once you have cornbread you can eat it with simple soups/stews or just a bowl of beans or rice. It is filling. You can also add bits of canned corn or bacon bits to cornbread. To keep leftovers, put the cornbread in a baggie or sealable dish and put in the fridge. Basic cornbread will keep overnight sealed on a counter but lasts better in the fridge.

Hot water cornbread is simpler but tastes best eaten warm or heated up the same day. It literally is just cornmeal "cooked" to a mush with boiling water. You add a little salt and pepper and a drop of oil if you like before frying the patties of mush. It's very tasty with soups, beans or stews. I like to just nibble on pieces of it while I'm cooking other things.

Frozen mixed veggies can be doctored up to taste really good. You don't have to eat them steamed or boiled; you can sauté them with onions and garlic and bits of potato. One of my brothers likes to steam his and mix them in with scrambled eggs (ew!). You can also combine mixed veggies with beans or with rice.

Hoe Cakes (also called patty cakes or flat bread). This is the poor man's bread. It's basically flour, water and salt kneaded and flattened into patties before frying in shallow oil. We ate it all the time as kids when my dad was TDY. Mama would serve it as breakfast with butter and syrup or jelly/jam and at dinner with fried potatoes and onions. It goes well with meat or soups/stews. Mainly it is cheap and filling. 

Cabbage can be steamed, boiled, baked and fried. It is not always cheap, but raw cabbage keeps really well in the fridge if you wrap it in foil.  It goes well with pan cornbread or hot water cornbread. You can add bits of meat or other veggies with it. It's healthy and can be filling.

Using leftovers:

Potatoes skins - not the fancy stuff restaurants serve - I'm talking the skin we normally toss out. First off, if you are frying your potatoes, just leave the skin on (after washing the potatoes!). Always wash and scrub the potatoes so that, if you save the peeled skin, you can oil and season then and fry them up to nibble on. My mom used to purposely leave a little potato on sometimes to let snack on the fried skins.

Onion skins - I won't go into how onion water is supposed to be good for a cough... But save your skins to add to your rice, beans, and soups/stews. It adds flavor and my mom used to say, "the skin is where the vitamins are" and she would use them in her stocks. You will want to strain out. 

Cornbread - like regular bread this makes for yummy croutons. Season and bake/air fry and do your thing. This won't work with hot water cornbread.

(Cornbread and buttermilk - I don't cosign on this one, but it was a favorite of my daddy's. Heat the leftover cornbread and, ugh! pour some cold buttermilk over it. Daddy liked it with fresh cornbread, but we are talking broke meals here.)

Beans - when heating up leftover beans add a little water first. N

TIPS: 

1. When making beans, always add more water than needed. It will be soupier than you want, but if you mix a little cornstarch in cold water and stir into the bean water, it will make it thicken. That extra bean broth is good for eating with rice, bread, cornbread or hoecake. I always make a lot of broth and it's even good warmed up and just sipped on its own between meals. Also
2. I like adding a little sugar to my beans - preferably dark brown. To bulk it up I also like to add a sauce (tomato or tomato paste, cheap spaghetti or pizza is fine or even a thick bbq sauce) to give it more flavor.
3. Liquid smoke adds lots of flavor the beans and meat dishes. It's cheaper than buying pieces of smoked meat for flavoring dishes. It's super expensive in the little bottles.
4. Buying jars of garlic granules and making your own powder or using in place of fresh garlic is cheaper. Dried garlic lasts longer than trying to buy fresh.
5. Buying larger amounts of anything - especially staples - is cheaper in the long run if you can afford it. I can buy a jug of liquid smoke online for what a tiny jar costs at Walmart.
6. If you get ground meat on sale, put in in freezer baggies and flatten them so save space.

Basic Grocery List:

From reading about the meals, you get an idea of what you need. This is a very basic list for when you get to the grocery store. It won't cover everything, but it will get you started:

• A/P Flour
• Sugar (white and brown)
• Cornstarch (you need this more than you think in the kitchen & elsewhere)
• Salt and pepper
• Dried Beans
• Rice (I prefer long grain)
• Cornmeal 
• Oil (I use Lard, olive, saved bacon grease)
• Butter (I always get unsalted b/c I can add salt if needed)
• Eggs (freeze eggs for up to one year)
• Milk (get powdered milk if you don't use a lot to save on waste)
• Evaporated milk (even if you have reg. milk or dried)
• Syrup
• Good sealable baggies or a cheap vac sealer and bags. Vac sealers aren't expensive; it is the bags...

If you just start with a basic pantry of staples, you can at least have meals of beans, rice, and some kind of bread.

When you find sales - especially of dried or frozen goods - stock up. 

I find that one thing that helps on saving with food is getting used to either meal prepping - which I am not good at - or eating the same thing a few times a week. If food is tasty, I don't mind eating it for a few days on end.

My mind can be scattered so if I remember anything, I will come back and update this post. In the meantime, I really hope this helps someone in stretching the dollars.

Peace

--Free

**A Quick Tip** Boost Existing Moisturizers

Put a little bit of snail mucin into your:

• skin moisturizers 
• hair leave-ins (this is mainly for afro-naturals who use daily moisturizers on their hair)
• anything of a cream or lotion-like texture that you use to hydrate skin or hair.

I don't use a lot of snail mucin solo. I got a bottle of a good brand for Christmas and I have some face masks using mucin. I'm not crazy about the texture, but I have to admit that it is very hydrating. 

Since I will not let a gift go to waste, I needed to use this stuff. So happens I also have a jar of face cream that I cannot return. It's an okay cream but I find that it doesn't do a good job moisturizing my face. So... I doctored it with a few drops of that disgusting mucin. Child.

That mucin was the best thing to happen to the face cream. It really boosted it to max levels. And you know me, I had to see what else I could doctor.

I have now been adding the mucin to every hair moisturizing cream I have. I find that all of my leave-in products are so much better. 

A couple of warnings:

• You might not want to add this to anything that is meant to be watery-textured.
• I make sure to test everything before I end up ruining whole bottles of products.
• The mucin does transfer the "slimy" texture to some products.

Of course, I'm no chemist or pro of any kind so... do your own testing and take your own chances. I'm just telling you that I've loved doctoring some products. I actually have managed to use that whole bottle of mucin instead of letting it go to waste. I also am glad that I've been able to "boost up" some products that were not working out solo.

I think what I like most about this tip is that the mucin doesn't create any more buildup on my hair when I add it to products.

Another bonus is that, while I like the mucin face masks (kind of), I am able to use the "juice" remaining in the containers. I either save them in a bottle for later or add them right away to another product.

Remember - do your own testing and research.

Peace

--Free

**CROSSPOST** The Biggest Distraction

Everyone is aware that the world seems to be more in turmoil lately. Maybe because the worst turmoil is in a place that was once the icon of Western stability - the USA. Initially, I wanted to blame politics and its bad actors, but now I'm thinking we are all to blame. Everything has become so performative. That was only mildly annoying when it was to do with social media - you know, with everyone become an 'influencer' of some sort. I thought it was just another social/cultural phase when people went from simple YouTubing - being serious, being too sharing, being outrageous, being silly, etc. - to making it a lifestyle. Everyone was suddenly a 'content creator'. There were parents putting their family life (for better or for worse) on display. Every day it seemed there was a new family of some specific number in a house, van, or on the road. It wasn't enough to showcase details of the latest mystery or gossip or story, but some people decided to do it all while applying makeup or doing their hair.

I was only annoyed when all the creating and influencing and showboating was to do with meaningless media, but then the shift came for the news. Not that I ever fully trusted the news to be unbiased or untainted by hidden manipulation, but when it became so obviously and purposefully performative...

Every newsperson (I don't know what else to call them) became their own media character. You had your left-wingers, right-wingers, and swing-wingers. There was the highly educated and the questionably educated and so on. I am pretty sure that whoever it is that does manipulate society has a casting department. When the networks need a Rachel Maddow, Greg Gutfeld, or Don Lemon, I imagine a meeting of shadowy people who send out a request to other shadowy people. Suddenly, *we the people/viewers* have a new face to focus on; someone relatable to represent all our frustrations and energy.

What I wonder is if there really are any significant numbers of people left who know their way around the information minefield that is the "news". Does anyone still think critically enough to know that there is really no longer "news" but instead just "approved propaganda"?

The thing is, that this is happening doesn't bother me in the way someone might think. I know that this is what it was all coming down to. Man has been playing to his own destruction since Adam and Eve messed up in the Garden. 

Everything - from the beginning - has been a war. "We the people" have always been the prize. We were never in control of society or culture. The only control we've ever had is over our personal choices.  Everything outside of that is part of the many battles in this war. The only way to win - and we can only win or lose for ourselves - is the make the right choice.

Every struggle and triumph in a person's life are just cobblestones in their whole walk, and everyone will influence that all-important choice. In the end of it all, it's not going to matter how wealthy or poor, healthy or not; no matter what you look like or what talent you have or don't have; what friends and connections you do or don't have. All that is going to matter is the choices you made that led to the most important choice.

There won't be anyone counting their money in Heaven or Hell. No one is going to care that you did or didn't achieve whatever success in your mortal life. Your mortal self won't matter in your immortal eternity. 

So, all this worldly, human STUFF is just distraction to keep your eye from seeing what the shadowy manipulators are doing. They don't want you to see your way to Jesus. They know that if you see the Messiah, he will be your way to God. 

Don't be distracted. Don't let the good or the bad of this world keep you away from eternal salvation.

Peace

--Free

"The more I study science, the more I believe in God." — Albert Einstein

**A Quick Tip** Slow Cooking in the Ninja FD400 series

 Making some collards today, I decided to go old-school and slow cook them instead of being in a hurry. You can see here what inspired me!

I ran into a problem as soon as I finished sautéing my onions and garlic. There is a Sauté button that I use quite a bit, but I couldn't figure out how to set up a slow cook without landing on the Yogurt setting. Thank goodness for this lady (who gets to the point better than I!):

Bless that woman.

Even with her help, I had to toggle a bit to find the 8hr slow (hers landed me on Hi). If I ever meet her, I'll offer to make her some greens and hot water cornbread.

BTW, Now that I'm kind of getting over a month-long vira-crud (that's what I'm calling it), I was inspired to make greens. While I was shopping them, I got some beef bones to make some homemade broth. (Reading this was a comfort of memories.) Between that and the pot "likker", I might feel decent by the time our cold spell thaws a bit.

Anyway, I do hope this helped someone.

Peace

--Free

**UPDATE** The Best Sunscreen. EVER.

A while back, I was reminding/encouraging people to wear sunscreen. I am convinced that wearing sun protection is one the best things one can do for skin health. I have talked about why some sunscreen products are better (or, rather, more effective in certain ways) than others. The past month that fact came to bear in real life.

Some reminder posts... One, Two, and Three. You're welcome!

After using a certain sunscreen for a while, I ran out and wasn't able to replace it right away. I had been using that product consistently for about 2 months when I ran out. I wasn't too bothered at first because I had a backup product that I do like. However, I got a little bothered when I noticed some changes in my skin...

A couple of weeks into using a different product, my skin was drier and kind of irritated, also, I had to re-moisturizer more often. My skin just didn't feel as good as it had been feeling for a while.

Now the reason I wasn't able to replace that better sunscreen was twofold: I was worried about the price and couldn't find a sale. I was really trying to save a Christmas gift card (thank you, lovely family!) for something special but decided that sunscreen was special enough! But it was out of stock everywhere, it seemed. Of course...

That sunscreen is La Roche Posay's Anthelios UVMune 400 Invisible Fluid SPF50+. I'd always been able to score some from a seller I like on eBay, but he was out of stock. I don't trust any other eBay sellers for this particular product (and I don't recommend anyone). The only other site I trust is French Pharmacy, but they are out of stock. 

This particular sunscreen is the Euro version so... not that easy to find. You can't even get it on the US LRP site. And why the heck had my skin become so addicted to it???

Anyway.

Turns, out that there may be a reason or two why my skin loves this stuff. I think it has to do with the key (and proprietary) UVMune ingredient: Mexoryl 400 aka “Methoxypropylamino Cyclohexenylidene Ethoxyethylcyanoacetate”. Say that even once fast or slow! That is owned by L'Oreal and they developed it with a chemical producer. That's why I couldn't find it in any other products brands.

The backup product was not working out for me because, of course... My skin wasn't happy, so I tried to hunt down the UVMune elsewhere (and maybe on sale). I found it a Le French Skincare - what a name, right? I had never heard of the place. Thankfully, I was able to put my gift card on PayPal (because it was more expensive than French Pharmacy - and being a site new to me, it was best to be careful). I then used one of my own cards via PayPal, so I'd have some purchase protection.  Being broke means you have to be more woke about your spending! By the time I post this, you will know how that transaction turned out!

The good thing is that, even though I didn't get a sale price and had to pay over $38, I know from experience that a single bottle of UVMune will last me at least the next 2 1/2 months (or more of I'm not outside. Also, I will be using a lot less of my regular daily moisturizer. 

For sunscreen this good, I will forgo a little food to keep some on hand. I have enough problems without getting skin cancer...

Anyway, this Mexo400, as I call it, happens to be great for aging and sensitive skin. In addition to working on (don't quote me here) "ultra long UV rays", it kind of protects the skin collagen, pigmentation, and a lot of other stuff I can't explain. 

I suggest these links if you really want to dig in:

• On Wikipedia
• A Reddit "Master post" on UVMune
• And this copy/paste from ChatGPT:

Anyway.

Some folks love saying, "Black don't crack", but I happen to know that it does if you don't take care of it. Anyone can get skin cancer. Don't be arrogant about your health in any way. Get all the exams recommended for prevention, eat better foods if you can find them, love you neighbor, and wear good sunscreen.

Peace

--Free

UPDATE on the purchase:

I have received the item from Le French Skincare and... I'm a little shocked (and very happy) to say that my transaction was completely legit. The name of the site worried me because it is too on-the-nose. However, my item arrived on time and well-packaged. The price is higher (almost $9 more) than at French Pharmacy, but they had it in stock, so... Of course, I will repurchase at FP whenever I can, but it is nice to have a backup site in case of emergencies.

BTW - don't buy LRP sunscreen on eBay unless you have had past transactions with a trusted seller. There are not many out there. Some dead giveaways that your LRP UVMune is fake: 

• The texture & color. The real stuff has a slight color tinge and is a bit watery-thin.
• The bottom of a fake bottle is usually absent some of the info/markings. There are also deviations in some printing and some other bottle features.
• Go here to check yours to see if you got a fake. (Thank you, Reddit!)

It's best to be safe & just order from authorized sellers. Or maybe get a pilot/flight crew friend to shop for you when they travel. I have to find more friends that travel!