Protein, the great debate.  The subject of much discussion not only in our lectures this week but I would say pretty much anywhere you are reading about food and nutrition today. Whether you are Paleo, Vegan, Vegetarian, Pegan (Paleo-Vegan) or just plain uncategorized you have some sort of protein source that you consider on a daily basis. That is unless you are on the water diet or the air diet mentioned in earlier posts.

I found it interesting that the Atkins Diet is back in discussions again.  I went on that diet many years ago and, yes, I lost a lot of weight but I found it hard to sustain it and maintain the weight I had lost.  However, I know, after experimenting with the carbohydrate diet and I can’t count how many others, that I need protein and plenty of it in my diet to stay energized and healthy.  I mix it up, sometimes it is vegetable protein
and sometimes it is animal protein.  Here is a link to more information about the Atkins Diet.  It has changed since I did it years ago.

What I can tell you is that I try to almost exclusively buy local, farm raised produce and animal protein.  Now is confession time – I took this about as far as I could at Thanksgiving last year and I purchased from a local supplier, a farm raised turkey who was, according to the supplier, humanely turned into the turkey that I paid – are you ready – $125 for. It was huge, it was fresh and it was delicious and it fed 10 people and then the leftovers were used to feed us for many, many meals afterwards and then it was soup.  We didn’t waste any of it.  My family will not let me live that one down but I think they understand me a bit better now and this was before I started my IIN journey and I guess I am Pegan or Paleo-Vegan.  There is a great article on Dr. Mark Hyman’s website that might be of interest.  Click Here

We learned a lot about vegetarian/vegan protein this week covering beans and how best to cook them for easier digestion, I love lentil soup especially when it gets cooler outside and I love vegetarian chili which I make quite a bit in the fall. We covered seaweed which I know little about but I believe is becoming more and more available and we covered soy and soy products.  Unfortunately soy and I are not friends except on occasion.  We are encouraged to experiment with ourselves and that is what I have been doing so I have a pretty good idea what agrees with me and what doesn’t.  Bio-individuality is what it is all about.  One man’s food is another man’s poison.

The rest of our week’s lectures were on effective coaching and again encouraging us to keep going and learning and practicing with our fellow students and in our daily lives.  Learning to be a good listener and to ask high-mileage questions is a skill that comes to some easier than to others.

I met with my Accountability Coach this week and had a terrific session with her. We don’t live too far apart when I am up in Canada so am hoping we will get together once I am back up north.  This is one part of the program that I think is wonderful and makes me feel very safe.  We are each other’s Accountability Coach so we take turns listening to each other and encouraging each other and in the holding each other accountable for goals that we set for ourselves.

This is my last post from South Carolina.  We depart this week for our northern home and while I am sad to leave here and will miss my friends and neighbors in Dataw I am looking forward to going north and being with family again.  It’s vacation week from school for us and the timing couldn’t be better.  I have lots of packing up to do to get us there.  Hope it looks like this when we get there.

The picture is of the green in front of our house and I am so happy to see the American flags on all the greens on both golf courses.  We honor our service men and women and proud to do it.

Wishing you a wonderful Memorial Day holiday.

Lou