[Klara]

Hey Lil Miz,

It's so exciting sharing your excitement - and almost as thrilling sharing your progress (meaning must be more thrilling for you!!!).

Again, I probably don't have the exact answer you may be searching for, but only hints that may help you find your direction.

As for soy sauce, it's GOOD that you don't feel your food is salty and that you are NOT thirsty after. When I am thirsty after a meal, it's a sure sign the food had something I shouldn't have had. But do you add your soy sauce at the table?????? All salts, soy sauce, miso, salt should be cooked into the food - not exactly sure of the times, I believe 3 minutes for miso, 10 for salt, and don't remember for soy sauce - but very very clearly not to be added after the food has already cooked.

The biggest plus you have is you do see yourself changing - and that you love the food!!!! So just know you will continue to see yourself changing as you continue to eat this way. Why do you feel you need to have the old SAD food - the "moderate regular dinner"?? You can serve up more and more of mb food that your family would eat and then just divide up the rest of dinner - what they eat and what you eat - you can still eat "wide" but you don't need to eat food that you know you don't feel as well after - actually, you don't even need to eat wide - you can have your grain, while they have their meat and all can have same vegetables. Re kids liking the food, with my kids they went through different phases and I never knew what to expect - sometimes they'd eat up all my ume pickles, and sometimes not touch it. Just continue to love your food and offer it to them with love, with no criticism of their own food (which can be difficult, I know!!!!!! - but always easier for me to give you advice than do it myself :>) )

For drinking, that's only the worry for those who are into meats, etc. You really are getting good at listening to your body, so continue. If you are NOT thirsty, don't worry. That's old tapes in your head that just doesn't apply with mb - as you read more about it, you will begin to understand more. There are no rules but to listen to your body - thirsty? drink - not thirsty? don't worry!!!!!

Variety WILL give you all the nutrients you need - lots of vegetables, different colors, different parts of the plant (leaves, roots), a little sea vegetables, a little fermented foods, a little beans, and a nice portion of grains - yin and yang will also come later, and so will more precise balancing for your condition - it really sounds like you're doing fantastic.

I may be dense here, but you get headaches after eating "regular" food and you don't think there's a connection??????

If you feel the cause may be not enough liquid, you can make your food more "liquidy," have more yin kinds of vegetables (leafy rather than roots). Or it is possible something you are eating is not right for your condition, nuts? oils?? flour products???? yeast?? fruits??? These are the common foods that are eliminated when people are dealing with serious diseases, but again, this is only a guessing game and there might be other factors that we over the net are not privy to.

I would deal with one thing at a time, and let go of the regular dinner which you don't enjoy anyway. Sit with your family, serve up all the wonderful mb dishes, and then serve something they may still desire, but not for you. Then see how you feel.

I can't remember all that you have written - did you ever see a counselor? btw, I hate to burst your bubble, but I don't think any of us ever have "all the kinks worked out" - that would make us perfect, and we're just all human, never perfect. But it's fun to keep working at it :>)

Great hearing your progress.

Klara