Lovely answer Damon - deserving of a chat if we ever get another together :>) (and I'm still waiting for someone to educate me in using the smilies
ah, see I did the ones next to the text, but the ones below?? I mark and it won't come in the text
ok, enough of the silliness
a little more about the peeling - back to your question, I feel organic turnips and rutabagas have thin skins so it's fine, as you already experienced, to eat. The vegetables Bruce mentioned, broccoli and hard skinned squashes are cut off only because of their texture I believe, not because they are bad for you - so I often make stocks from peels I don't eat - but I have to be organized to do that!!!!! (sometimes I make stocks and then don't get around to using it in time - so organization is still a big goal for me).
good you put about your backpacking trip in a different post, so very much to discuss here.
I believe one of the limitations of the forum is what works for one doesn't necessarily work for another - otoh, it's good to find what we have in common and any help we can get on our searches.
I do get inspired by alot of what I read on the computer - and it was one of the mb discussion groups early on that had me very excited (I read old old posts and it kept me up quite late - reading during the actual writing isn't the same, as often as you already know there are many quiet moments on the computer's groups) (but then there's always old articles to be found)
and rereading the mb books is always wonderful and also inspiring
but from people in person I get more than information - as an example, in our last potluck, I was sitting next to a long time macro person and again admiring how she separates the food on her plate as she eats and still chews well, despite it being a social gathering. My food kind of blurs one into the other, not sure why. Now this is something I've never seen discussed in any book or article, but makes sense to me to have order on the plate as one eats and it's also not something discussed in any cooking classes I've taken but just something I quietly observe when I'm with others.
Sometimes it's enough just to be with one other person who is mb, or interested. Perhaps at this stage of your adventure, you can invite someone to cook with you, or even to teach another if that's to your liking. I also learn from other's negative actions, like when I see someone eating like there's no tomorrow, or eating and talking and totally not conscious of their eating - it's not that I don't do it also, but makes me so much more aware when I see someone else doing it.
I strongly believe in slow and steady - meaning having something regularly works deeper than spurts. otoh, spurts are also very exciting. By spurts, I mean you are so fortunate to be in the States where there's so much going on - if you're going to take a vacation anyway, how wonderful that there are so many mb opportunities to get to - and perhaps at one of them you might be lucky and meet people who do live closer to you.
I had to put alot of effort into finding people and organizing potlucks - I felt very fortunate in that they lasted so long - unfortunately I'm still one to see the glass half-empty and I constantly was wishing for something else - although I enjoyed the company and mb food of others, I didn't feel I was pushed to better my practice. I believe that comes from a good teacher.
now I'm certain I've written already about how long I've been macro but to reintroduce myself, I knew about mb way back in the late 60's and am often sorry I didn't follow up then - I was always interested in "healthier" options, always had an eye towards gardening and towards alternative ways, but never really sank into them. Before mb I followed Fit for Life and enjoyed it. I found my first mb teacher after a food demo in 1995, and all I was interested in then was to find new recipes, and it was only after hearing all the mb stories and philosophy in the class that I fell in love with it - it was a class of 10 sessions and intermittently she gave more classes. Then I found someone else who was doing monthly mb potlucks - and was fortunate to have in our community a long time mb teacher who then had weekly gourmet dinners in her home - and took more classes from her - at that point I realized I already knew enough and also felt as you did about justifying the money just to have a social context - somewhere around there I started monthly potlucks, which took too many phone callings and organizing, so a bit later found another person and a couple who felt as I did to have regular meetings. Even there, the first meeting took alot of phone calling and I guess the frustration for me was that there were always beginners and I had so little patience for the same questions over and over. But over the years we established a pretty regular group of people, and looking back now I realize how very fortunate I was.
Also I have sometimes cooked with one other, and that too was greatly enjoyable.
But still for me the best was when an excellent teacher came to Israel (Jeanne van den Heuvel from Belgium) and we had intensive classes - that was inspiring - costly, yes, but inspiring. The problem there was that the inspiration didn't continue for me.
so that's my story.
I am fortunate in that I didn't come to mb because of any illness and do realize even the little things have disappeared from my life - colds and headaches, etc.
But as often mentioned this is a lifetime adventure, and like you, I may find myself going much wider - again fortunately (or not??) I don't often feel direct effects from my eating wider, so that doesn't push me back to getting on track.
sorry that I don't know the answer - if anyone does, I'd love to hear.
now to go read about your backpacking adventures
Klara