Healthy Avocado and Nut Salad

• Baby romaine
• Avocado
• Raw almonds
• Raw sunflower seeds
• Raw pumpkin seeds
• Raisins
• Carrots
• Feta cheese
• Onions
• Mushrooms

I topped it off with Bragg Ginger & Sesame dressing, and it was very tasty.  If you try it, let Raymie and I know what you think.

Because of Leanna’s recent diagnosis of a very mild case of Crohn’s, she and I are going on the Maker’s Diet starting today.  I was on this diet for 6 weeks several years ago with a group of people from my church, and I was pleased with the results at the time.  However, it is fairly restrictive when compared to our standard American diet, and I fell back into the habit of junk food pretty easily.  Now, however, we have a new reason to improve our diet.

The Maker’s Diet is based on the idea that our bodies were designed to eat natural food and have problems eating modern processed food.  Organic fruits, vegetables, meats, and fish are encouraged, and anything artificial is not allowed.  Cane sugar, corn syrup, and artificial sweeteners are not allowed; honey, maple syrup, and stevia are the recommended sweeteners.  Most conventional bread, pasta, and cereal are to be avoided; instead, sprouted and sourdough breads and spelt pasta are encouraged.  The diet also follows the dietary laws found in the Bible, which means that pork and shellfish are not allowed.  There are a lot more details, but those are the main points.

The purpose of the diet is to improve digestive health, and the book specifically claims to help with Crohn’s.  (The author had severe Crohn’s, and was helped by this diet.)  We are hopeful that between the Maker’s Diet, taking fish oil and probiotics (both recommended by both Leanna’s doctor and the Maker’s Diet), and prayer, Leanna’s health will improve quickly.  We’d like to avoid the prescription medication, if possible.  Although weight loss is not a primary objective of this diet, I did find that the last time I was on the diet I lost weight quite easily.  So we’ve got that going for us.  Which is nice.   Even if you don’t believe that the Old Testament dietary laws are worth anything and you don’t buy the organic hype, there is little doubt that this diet is much healthier than what we have been eating.

I must admit I’m kind of excited about changing up my diet for a while.  I like trying new things.  Leanna is a little nervous about all this, though.  The hardest part of the diet is the first couple of weeks.  So if you see her, say something encouraging.  She’ll appreciate it!

Starring (in order of appearance):
Ben, Raymie, Leanna, and Evie

Here are my 3 favorites from this year, in no particular order:

David Letterman

(YouTube link)

There was an interesting story about the David Letterman promo in the New York Times.

Doritos

(YouTube link)

Google

(YouTube link)

What can I say?  I’m a romantic.

What were your favorite commercials this year?

It now works in Internet Explorer! However, I still recommend that everyone install a better browser.