NOTE: This is NOT a health blog. I am NOT a medical professional or nutrition expert. This is an experiment I’ve been trying. My post here is NOT medical advice. Get the advice of a professional before taking any kind of ANYTHING, OK? You might hurt yourself!
It came! Four big jugs of food-grade diatomaceous earth!
We’re incorporating it into our daily diet. Food-grade diatomaceous earth, also known as Fossil Shell Flour, is supposed to be good for you, I hear. I got it for the animals who have regular problems with worms and ticks (we live near a wooded area and there are a ton of stray animals around here).
Apparently, according to various websites the silica in diatomaceous earth supposedly helps strengthen bones and the joints, cleanses the digestive system and also keeps it clear of parasites, and cleanses out the blood of fatty deposits. Now, I don’t think it’s a miracle, wonder-working infomercial fix that will make you leap tall buildings in a single bound or impervious to Big Brother’s security camera mind-melds! But it is natural . The food grade kind is supposed to be OK for consumption. And we’ll never get worms, that’s for sure! LOL. Right now, we mix 1/2 teaspoon in with orange juice every day. You can’t taste it. Eventually, we’ll work more of it into our diet– it can be sprinkled into soups, stews, oatmeal, etc. It has no taste and it’s the consistency of flour. I’m thinking I’ll mix it into the canned cat food for the cats, too. In case you are interested, I bought my diatomaceous earth at Earth-Works Health (not a paid link and they are not a sponsor in any way, shape or form).
In other news, I’m checking out refined sugar. I just found out that one website says that refined sugar is processed with dead cattle bone ash! That is DISGUSTING! Is this true?! I never liked refined sugar before, anyway. I wish sugar alternatives weren’t so darned expensive, but I’m not getting refined sugar any more. We’re trying out stevia for the coffee. I don’t know what I’m going to do when I start baking… I use molasses a lot in a lot of recipes, but it won’t work for many things. If any of you guys have any ideas, be sure to let me know.
UPDATE: Well, we took the DE and I didn’t notice any big change in my joints. It did cause a bit of constipation, so we had to drink tons of water. We have stopped using it in our OJ for now. I sprinkle DE around my patio furniture to keep insects from nesting in it.
REMEMBER: This is NOT a health blog. I am NOT a medical professional or nutrition expert. This is an experiment I’ve been trying. My post here is NOT medical advice. Get the advice of a professional before taking any kind of ANYTHING, OK? You might hurt yourself!
21. March 2010 at 7:25 am
I saw the title of your post on CMF ads and was immediately interested. I never knew there was such a thing as food grade diatomaceous earth. Really informative article and I’m off to check off your links. I agree with you about the sugar. I cut it out years ago and after a month or so of withdrawal, I don’t miss it any more.
21. March 2010 at 11:23 am
Hi! A friend sells human-grade D-E on her web site TreatsforChickens.com and swears that it is an amazing overall tonic for poultry – and she advises finding out about using it for yourself too. Good for yoy all there! I have to try it sometime. As for sweetener, I am loving SuCaNat right now. That’s short for sugar cane natural – it’s basically busted up dehydrated sugar cane pulp. It has lots of fiber in it, so it does not all dump into your bloodstream at once. And you can use it 1-to-1 like sugar in recipes and foods. I love it. Good price at Costco. The only thing I really put sugar in anymore is coffee, which I should quit anyway, and baked treats. Enjoy that DE and please keep us all posted on how it goes and what you observe!
22. March 2010 at 6:01 pm
I don’t know if this is what you might be interested in, but what about Sugar in the Raw? http://www.sugarintheraw.com/ I was very curious about your diatomaceous earth post – the only thing I know about the stuff is that my mother in law needs it to put in her above ground pool! Never thought there was a food grade version – very interesting.
22. March 2010 at 6:07 pm
Thanks for your comments, everyone!
I have heard of the Sugar in the Raw stuff– it’s Sucanat. It’s very nice, but it’s wildly expensive, and it’s still sugar from the cane (albeit not refined). I liked it enough… I’m just surveying all my choices because I want to get away from sugar cane in general. Hmm I’ll let you know what I find.
11. July 2011 at 5:39 pm
xylitol! that’s what I use for sugar in my coffee, as an added bonus, it is GOOD for your teeth.
I just got some food grade DE actually for spiders (my poor toddler keeps getting spider bites as he sleeps) and plan to take some myself.
19. August 2011 at 8:30 pm
I came across your site while looking for more info on DE.
What I can tell you though is….Maple Syrup is awesome in coffee.
Stevia doesn’t have the right flavour for coffee, it’s plenty sweet alright, but it lacks a ’roundness’ of flavour.
Give maple syrup a try and I guarantee that you will be hooked.
(I comes with minerals as an added bonus)
25. August 2011 at 11:37 am
I’ve just bought my first lot of DE and was searching the net for some more information and reviews, when I came across your website. I just wanted to let you know that xylitol is an excellent replacement for sugar in baking (and I’m sure you can use it in many things), every time I’ve used it the products turn out just fine, as if using sugar.
17. December 2011 at 10:00 am
I have been using DE for about 5 weeks now, after the 1st full week the hot flashes that were making me totally miserable just STOPPED!! Yippie!! I have noticed a little more energy & better sleep. I use it on my dog for flea & tick control as well as he cannot have the chemical version. It doesn’t work instantly, but it does work! I’m very pleased with the outcome so far!
3. January 2012 at 10:23 pm
After some research I found food grade DE at our local Farmer’s Coop. It cost about $30 tax included for a 50lb bag. Make sure you get food grade since there is a filter grade used in pool filters and it’s not good for you.
26. January 2012 at 1:44 pm
A very good article on DE for human consumption (and how/when to take it) is “Mad As a Hatter”. http://www.westonaprice.org/environmental-toxins/mad-as-a-hatter. It’s a little long but very informative!!!