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The Paleo Running Momma

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Season Matters, Oil Pulling, and Commitments

Hello today from my backyard – where the bugs are attacking me and it’s 85 degrees and climbing.

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And, yuppers – here I am in pigtails drinking hot coffee.  I think I really need to figure out the whole cold brew thing since it looks like we have some hot days ahead.  For now, I will sweat and Think Out Loud and try to remember to google cold brewing later.

Season Matters, Oil Pulling, Commitments

Thought 1: I totally realized today that the season matters a lot when it comes to food.   Probably other things too, but I’m thinking about food.  Let me elaborate on this subject, starting with my feelings about apples.

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You see, I’m definitely one of the first to jump on apples and all things related to fall – including the ever controversial “pumpkin spice” bandwagon.  If there really is a bandwagon for pumpkin spice, then I have literally been riding it since I was 5 and fell in love with pumpkin pie.

Sidenote: I was curious and googled the definition of “bandwagon”, and found that besides a trend, it is literally a wagon that carries a band in a parade or procession.  Pumpkin spice lattes optional.

Anyway, back to the apples.  As I moan about often, I try to rephotograph good recipes with terrible photos whenever I have “time” – AKA – when I’m putting off doing something else.

As much as I love baking with apples once August 20th-ish rolls around, baking with apples, cinnamon and nutmeg on a 90 degree day in July might actually have just killed my love for fall food in general.

Maybe that’s harsh.  It’s just that I realized that the season really does matter when it comes to what foods we want to eat, and even what we want to smell!  The smell of cinnamon and nutmeg just is not doing it for me right now, at all.

Thought 2: I was researching “natural teeth whitening” for an article outside the blog, and came back around to another bandwagon I’ve been curious about for a while – oil pulling.

If you’re unfamiliar, read this comprehensive article about what it is and potential benefits.

Since I’m randomly super impulsive I decided to try it – once.  I’m going to do it again, I think.  Anyway, since it’s not like I don’t already use coconut oil for everything, I figured I’d start swishing and see what happened.

At first, it was strange.  You’re supposed to swish the coconut oil around your mouth for 20 full minutes and I made it to 15 before I wanted out!  But, my mouth sure did feel clean after rinsing and brushing, plus, my lips were noticeably less chapped all day.

Obviously, to get the magical oil pulling benefits everyone talks about, you need to do it every day, 20 minutes, before eating or drinking.  Honestly, it feels like a big commitment that I’m not sure I can really, um, commit to.  Which brings me to a third thought!

Thought 3:  Commitments.  Do they get harder to make as an adult?  Have I become selfish?  Or do I just have no patience for anything that isn’t an absolute priority?

Is it possible I’m becoming more “go-with-the-flow” as I age?  Um, no to the last one.  I live each day on a mission for something, I guess that “something” just needs to be on my own terms now.

When I was younger, I committed to all sorts of things without thinking about them.  If it sounded good enough, I was in!  If it looked good on paper, even better.  No second guessing.

Maybe I’ve just lived and learned a bit and maybe I’m just more tired.   Commitments = energy and I have to conserve mine lately.  Blogging, being a mom and a wife, trying to take care of myself – these things seem to take up all my hours.   Yet, I’m also aware that the feeling of being drained isn’t healthy longterm, and that’s definitely a part of the commitment issue.

No apples for summer, oil pulling, and commitment issues #thinkingoutloud

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What do you guys think – is is harder to commit as we get older?  Is the busy world we live in a part of it?

What’s something (food) you love in one season but can’t stand in another?

Any experiences with oil pulling?

 

 

 

 

 

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Reader Reviews & Comments

  1. I did try oil pulling a few months ago for a few weeks. It was hard for me to be willing to give up drinking coffee during that time when I first wake up and if I wanted to work out first thing then I obviously couldn’t do it. But I did get used to having it in for 20 minutes. If there were the same benefits from doing it later in the day then maybe it would work, but first thing in the morning before eating or drinking anything else is tough.

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    • It’s definitely tricky to work out with the running, that’s for sure. I did have to drink water before I did it, no getting around that in the summer!

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  2. OOOOO EPIPHANY: Maybe the true definition of adulting is realizing and committing to your true priorities and not bothering with the extraneous things. (well, in theory)

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  3. Not sure about the commitments…we’ll see as time goes…
    No to oil-pulling…I just can’t :O Haha!
    I really do say screw the seasons…I’m sitting here eating a forelle paer when I could be eating summer peaches 😛

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    • In college I literally committed to everything all the time lol. The only thing I can’t seem to compromise with is nutmeg, it feels so wrong in the summer!

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  4. Oil pulling! Love the idea- I tried it once, and I’m interested to see if it works for anyone, but so far I don’t know a single person who has decided 20 minutes of relative discomfort in their day was worth it for white teeth. I’m on that bandwagon with them 😉
    Honestly, there’s SO MUCH to coordinate nowadays, and things just seem to pile up so quickly, I’m always reluctant to commit to anything that’s non-essential. And I don’t even have children. I guess it’s just deciding what’s worth the sacrifice of time, and what isn’t.

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    • So many of us feel the same about commitments it seems! As for oil pulling I’ll have to give it a fair shot, interested to see what happens.

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  5. I’m all for a cleaner mouth, but the feeling of swishing oil in my mouth for 20 minutes is so unappealing that I think I’ll settle for brushing/flossing/regular dentist appointments. And I mostly ignore the seasons with respect to what I eat, but not so much with what I drink. From September to March, I can’t get enough tea, but I almost totally give it up in the summer.

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  6. I went to Michael’s yesterday and it was decorated for Halloween and Thanksgiving. In that moment I craved apples and cinnamon and and soups and butternut squash, but then I walked outside and all that sounded too stifling. Back to the berries and zucchini. Although I do eat sweet potatoes year round!

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    • Sweet potatoes are like “bread” for me I guess so year round it is! I can’t believe Michael’s was already in full fall mode, maybe I need to get ready sooner than I thought!

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  7. I am less and less committing as I age. I find that people are less committed to me because of kids, husbands, jobs, whatever so I don’t take it personal it too serious. PS hot drinks is what you’re supposed to drink when it’s hot. It actually has a cooling effect on the body. I learned this when I was living in Spain and Mexico!

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  8. I am a fall fanatic as well. In fact I added baked goods to my Autumnal Bliss pinterest board yesterday. Is it October yet? I am curious about the benefits of oil pulling, but it is such a serious commitment. In my mind that’s a lot of time.

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    • It does seem like a while so I’ll have to figure out how to actually fit it in so I can give it a fair shot! With the heat we’re having now I really do wish it was October now 🙁

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  9. Boy, 15 minutes sounds like a long time? You have a lot of patience! I’ve never tried oil pulling.

    And I think my amount of energy has diminished as I’ve gotten older, so I do have to reserve energy more conservatively and be wiser about what I say yes and no to, so I would agree that commitments do get a bit harder as you get older. I have to be more careful to not commit if I can’t do something.

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    • I think once you get used to it it must feel normal for those 20 minutes! Seems like a lot of us feel the same about committing lately.

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  10. I’ve been oil pulling for a couple of years now and I seriously love it. I started out doing it every day, but now I’m down to about 3 times a week and I still feel like I’m getting all the benefits. It is kind of annoying, but I’m not a huge fan of the dentist so it’s worth it to me. Plus you kind of fall into the habit when you do it consistently for a while so it doesn’t feel like such a huge chore anymore.

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  11. I love eating fresh apples year round, but definitely crave the cinnamon/nutmeg, pumpkin and butternut squash flavors only when fall is firmly here (like, not until October!) Right now, my cravings center much more on fresh berries and peaches and watermelon 🙂

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  12. As much as I LOVE my coffee, I don’t like it cold at all. I’ve tried various ways but nothing I went back to so far! Good thing I work in an office with full AC all summer haha I eat vegetable “creams” (read: coconut milk) for lunch almost every day during the fall/winter/spring but replace them with hearty salads all summer. I have a very hard time with hot food in general. I also tend to replace my almost daily chicken with cold meat options like smoked salmon, tuna, sushi, etc.

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  14. I 100% agree with commitments being harder nowadays! I find myself just wanting to fly by the seat of my pants then make plans. Sometimes making plans can drain way too much energy, especially back to back things.

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  15. I have zero desire to try oil pulling.
    Cranberry sauce is a definite November craving. Zero desire for it any other month.
    I have zero desire to make any commitments. I think it’s definitely gotten worse as I’ve gotten older!
    I am sleep deprived and feeling very negative. Ha!! 🙂

    Reply

  16. Just a personal little anecdote. I started oil pulling last fall (I don’t always/ever(?) last the 20 minutes and sometimes I eat and drink before I do it) and I love the clean feeling afterwards and I do think my teeth look whiter but who knows I could be imagining it. But the interesting thing is I went to the dentist for a regular check up a couple months after starting. I had barely opened my mouth when she said “ok now that looks great. Amazing dental hygiene.” 😀 Random compliment and she has never worded it that enthusiastically in the 20ish years I’ve been going there soooo I think it might not be a coincidence?

    Reply

  17. I am totally intrigued by oil pulling but I know the whole 20 minute routine wouldn’t even last a day with me 😛 Plus I think it would turn me off coconut oil!

    As for commitments, they DEFINITELY get harder as an adult. I think it’s because we have so many other things to do!

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  18. I can relate to conserving that energy and only committing to things which are priorities (or fall within the baby’s nap time 🙂 ).
    I tried oil pulling back in the day and only make it a few days before I forgot. Who’s got 20 minutes to kill in the morning without food or beverages. That’s when I drink my lemon water, which I do believe has helped keep me healthy and sickness at bay.

    I don’t even mess with apples when they aren’t in season; same for most veggies and some other fruit (berries are my exception). They just taste so much better when they’re in season, and the price is right.

    Reply

    • So, so true with the apples. Food blogging makes us do crazy things! I was drinking lemon water with acv over the winter but fell out of the habit. Now I’m committed to oil pulling, lol 🙂

      Reply

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