The Great Cholesterol Myth: Why Lowering Your Cholesterol Won't Prevent Heart Disease - And The Statin-Free Plan That Will by Jonny Bowden, PHD, CNS & Stephan Sinatra, MD, FACC

I consider myself rather knowledgeable when it comes to health & nutrition. I've been studying it for 2 decades. The thing is, while I knew the majority of what was said in this excellent book (nutrition/diet info. much more so then information on medications), having it laid out so clearly & by real medical doctors made some points so much more clear to me.

For example, I think by now everyone knows sugar is bad for them. This book shows us that it is so bad, we are better off if we never consume a single tiny crystal. The harm sugar is doing to our bodies almost immediately after consumption is frightening. I mean, gee, I know sugar is bad. But hey, all things in moderation right? Wrong. It seems with sugar there is no safe amount.

I have been loosely following a combination of a low FODMAPs/AIP diet to help manage my Endometriosis (I know this isn't about the heart, but it is about inflammation, so it's relevant). I found Sara Ballantyne PhD to be very helpful in this regard (she has several books if you want to look them up). Even she advises against sugar, but in general, I never felt the real danger from sugar. I thought, okay so maple sugar, black strap molasses, & honey. These are suggested because they have trace nutrients compared to table sugar. But hey now! I am sensitive to FODMAPs so what's the big deal with some certified organic sugar so I don't have GI issues? Not only that, but boy oh boy organic maple sugar crazy expensive.

Now I learn that it's the fructose in sugar that makes it so darn bad. In fact according to this book, there is only a 5% difference in fructose content between table sugar & high fructose corn syrup. We've all been warned of the dangers of HFCS, yet the authors of this book flat out say the difference between table sugar & HFCS is so slim, they are essentially the same, IE, they are both equally dangerous.

Now onto my middle aged husband. He has borderline high blood pressure. He is overweight, but not obese. I try very very very very hard to get him to eat healthy. Thanks to my AIP lifestyle, I tend to make a lot of lower carb meals. My breakfast is fish baked over lemons with a sprinkle of sea salt & a little organic butter flavored coconut oil (I can't digest the protein in dairy, another symptom of my autoimmune disease). My husband sometimes does okay with eggs & toast. Other times awful with sugary coffee & sugary kids cereal. When I do my Sunday bulk cooking for week long ready to eat meals they will consist of things like meatballs made using turmeric, no breads or starches, no crumbs, etc. & a big batch of spaghetti squash rather than pasta. Or stew with no white potatoes or noodles.

My job is running my Eco farm full time. I grow & raise at least half of everything we consume. We also hunt. You'd think we'd have super healthy diets. Sadly, it's not working out that way. My husband wants his carbs & his sugar. For example he will add a generous serving of pasta to what I make or dump a bunch of store bought spaghetti sauce, BBQ sauce, or ketchup onto a low carb meal I made. All these processed organic foods contain sugars.

I totally get the sugar love. I'm bad about it myself (for sweets only), but after this book, I'm determined to get off the sugar death trap. I do understand why he eats these things. It's why everyone eats them. They are deliciously addictive. I try to educate him. He thinks he eats healthy. I don't want to fight. I'm scared of him having a heart attack or stroke. I'm not even sure if surviving such an event would get him to change his diet. I hope I never have to find out.

My 'Husband Solution' is to work on the supplements listed in this book to give my husband something to counterbalance his destructive eating habits & hope for the best. I already found a multivitamin on amazon by Dr. Sinatra that I subscribe & saved to. I'm working on ordering other supplements as well.

My husband isn't lazy. Having a farm makes that impossible. It's the diet that is so bad. Everything is organic, but really, so what? It just has less chemical crap in it than the absolute trash that is called conventional food. It may seem like I've gone on a lot about sugar, but in the book, the authors do too. It is a very big deal.

The book does also discus medications, diet, lifestyle factors, mental health etc. I've never been a fan of medications so this was pretty easy for me & none of the information was the least bit surprising. Frustrating to be sure. But there is a real pigheadedness with conventional medicine.

Conventional Doctors are total pill pushers. It's their solution to everything, even when it doesn't work. It's why I stopped going to the doctor. I know a time will come when I need a conventional doctor. That will be when I break a bone or have a tumor. But for overall health & well being, I only trust conventional doctors to make me feel worse or even possibly create more health problems than what I arrived with.

This book is refreshing because it focuses on Integrative Medicine. When I was in my 20's this wasn't recognized like it is now. I had to battle with my health insurance to get coverage for nearly anything of this nature, yet Integrative Medicine doctors are what actually helped me get better. Conventional Medicine failed me every single time. Oh sorry, they didn't fail me once. I broke my arm when I was 5. I'll give them that & only that.

Even if you think you eat great & don't have high blood pressure or any sort of cardiovascular concerns, you want to read this book. I have low blood pressure. Aside from my autoimmune disease I appear to be very healthy. But this book shows me that I could do better, much better. In fact, if I don't I could have problems or could already have problems & not even know it, like diabetes.

This is real folks & it's scary. But the excellent part is that we can actually do something about it! It's not all doom & gloom. There is a solution & it doesn't take prescription pills, it takes you!

The Complete Guide to Pickling: Pickle and Ferment Everything Your Garden or Market Has to Offer by Julie Laing

As a full time Eco farmer, I was hoping for more recipes that didn't require refrigeration. Nourishing Traditions was my first introduction to fermentation which gave me the bug to learn more & lead me to Wild Fermentation. From there, I was making my own & never refrigerated anything. I'm still here, so I guess I did something right. I'm also not against canning something that has been pickled/fermented. It does kill some of the beneficial bacteria, but enough remain to have a healthy product, plus, the fermentation process increases the bodies ability to digest the food, so again, more nutrition even canned.

Another issue for me at least is that many recipes will only last a day or two in the fridge or even one or two weeks. Some last months, others up to a year (usually canned). Most though, seem rather perishable & need refrigeration. Like the author, I live in a tiny log cabin. Mine is a historic late 1700's log cabin. I have no room for anything. A second refrigerator has to reside in my main living space to store my finished ferments. As it is, we sometimes have to use an extra freezer & it sits next to the couch. It doesn't create a comfortable living space. I feel like I'm in my barn. I do what I can to put up the food I grow in ways that do not require an extra refrigerator or freezer.

I was initially excited about the title claiming I could "pickle and ferment everything my garden... has to offer". Nope. Almost, but not everything. The main thing I had in mind was parsnips. Maybe I'm crazy & parsnips aren't suitable for pickling or fermenting. I don't know. It's just that when you say, "everything" I'm expecting everything!

I am also disappointed in the lack of photos. I'm not talking food porn. I'm talking about photos that help the reader understand the process. For example, when discussing various molds, how about photos showing the types of molds? Photos in the troubleshooting section would be very helpful to newbies. I understood what the author was talking about thanks to experiencing these things, but what about the folks just getting started? Pictures help; a lot.

Chapter Two is Quick Pickles. All recipes are refrigerated to keep fresh.
The Japanese Style Pickled Cucumbers are delicious, but only hold for a mere 3 days in the refrigerator. It's so disappointing because you have to keep making it much too often for my tastes in order to continue to enjoy it. The Carrot and Daikon Radish is another I have tried & enjoyed. It will hold in the refrigerator for about 2 weeks. Which is an improvement.

Chapter Three is Fresh Pickles. This includes recipes for both canned & refrigerated produce. I will be trying the Water Bath-Processed Beets & Pickled Chive Blossoms next spring. I am in the process of making the Pickled Garlic Cloves which is super simple & hopefully turns out tasty (lasts months refrigerated). There is also a recipe for Sushi Ginger that I'm excited about. I love Gari & it will keep up to 6 months.

Chapter Four is Fermented Pickles. To me this is where the fun is really at. You have your traditional Sauerkraut, Apple and Cabbage Kraut, Classic Kimchi, etc. I made the Preserved Lemons which lasts 6 months in the refrigerator. What a delicious twist. I'm a citrus junkie & totally bonkers over lemon, so I am a bit biased, but I do hope you try it. There is even a Short Fermented Potato recipe. I wont be trying it, but this was a first for me. I don't eat nightshades, but for someone who does, it might be fun to try out.

Chapter Five is Relish, Hot Sauce, and Other Condiments. I haven't made anything out of this section yet. And I doubt I ever will. If you like it hot, she has a Fermented Red Hot Sauce & Chile Paste that might be right up your alley.

Chapter Six is Sweet and Fruity Pickles. There are some very interesting recipes in this. I like the option to put up some of my farms sweets without resorting to making jam or just canning whole/sliced, but none of these will last as long as I'd like. Miso Brined Apples (keeps 1 week refrigerated), Jerk Spiced Banana Pickles (keeps for weeks refrigerated), Sweet Spiced Black Berries (keeps for only 3 days refrigerated!), Sweet and Tart Blueberries - this uses lavender. I will be trying this out over the summer when my blueberries are ripe. It keeps for a couple of weeks refrigerated. I do wish it kept for longer.

Chapter Seven is Pickled Fish, Eggs, Beverages, and Other Odds and Ends. This is another fun section, but most recipes are to be consumed right away which is very disappointing. There are two pickled egg recipes. I love pickled eggs. They are so convenient. I think of them as a farmers fast food. Healthy & satisfying. They last about 10 days in the refrigerator. She also includes Shrubs. They are the closest thing to soda before soda. Shrubs are a lot of fun & they last for a couple of months refrigerated. There is also a Switchel recipe. This is great any time of the year, but right now with Covid19, it's even more reason to have some at hand. It utilizes apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, ginger & lemon. So good. Super strong, but so good. Make up a batch of elderberry syrup to go along with it & keep your immune system strong. Switchel lasts about a month refrigerated (so does elderberry syrup), but you should go through it long before then.

I would also like to mention the physical book itself. The binding is a nightmare. I had to break the binding for virtually every page in order to get it to stay open. I love books & abhor damaging them, but with this book I had no choice. The spine is now a twisted mess. The publishers need to really think about this. Spiral bound or hard cover with binding that allows the book to lay flat would be much more realistic & appropriate.

While this isn't all I could have hoped for, it does have enough good recipes to help me add some variety to my crops which is always nice. If you have no experience with pickling or fermenting, you might want to try a book with more photos to help you out first, then go with this one. Or what the heck, you can always just jump right in with this book & see where it takes you.