[gyla]

Hi, I'm so new to mb I hesitate to say anything...but I found that when I transitioned to mb and gave up carbs/sugar, there was a withdrawal effect. It definitely felt a little reminiscent of depression. be gentle to yourself, and know it will pass.

I don't know what to say about your teas, have you played around with brewing times? I have a friend who "schooled" me on brewing tea, he's a tea merchant of sorts. he says on the first brew, if it's loose tea, you should only brew most teas about 90 seconds. don't squeeze bag, if there is one. I'm not sure if there are mb recommendations for brewing, I could be talking crazy here....see if that helps, though. you can use the same tea/bag for successive brews, but just steep longer. also, the water is usually not at a boil, a little under.

re: rice. I found the first few times I made brown rice in the pressure cooker it was pretty gummy, too. It helped me to decrease the amount of water. I only use a little over 1.5C of water per cup of rice. Are you using the traditional 2C/cup of rice? Are you soaking and then using the same amount of water? If you soak it will take a little less water, as the grains will have already absorbed some. I also use a method Aveline Kushi talks about in her cookbook, in which you bring the rice and water a little more slowly to a boil (lid off) and add your salt after the simmer occurs. Place lid, bring to boil. I usually then drop it right down to very low, put it on a flame deflector, and time it for 50 minutes. Something about the natural sweetness of the grain takes 50 minutes. I know the pressure cooker is usually looked at as saving time, but in this instance it's really useful for keeping all the minerals in.

good luck in your mb journey! I wish there was a restaurant close to home so I could indulge when I don't feel like cooking!

peace and blessings,
Holly