Twitter, Minerals, and a New Sweetener

Twitter under New Ownership

"Let the good times roll!" -Elon Musk, October 28

Twitter was one of the best sources of information for me during the pandemic. I found journalist Alex Berenson and others there whose information, even with Twitter's censorship, helped guide me through with accurate information.

Now some are in a tizzy because Elon Musk bought Twitter and promised to restore free speech to the platform. Twitter's new Head of Safety and Integrity tweeted, "Over the last 48 hours, we’ve seen a small number of accounts post a ton of Tweets that include slurs and other derogatory terms. To give you a sense of scale: More than 50,000 Tweets repeatedly using a particular slur came from just 300 accounts" (emphasis added). But if it's like "the gates of hell opened," I just haven't seen it in my feed--but then, I don't look for fights and I don't troll, scold or dox people. There's still the option to block people or simply not go looking for trouble, just like on the rest of the internet.

Despite the kerfuffle, I'm finding Twitter a more pleasant place, with more people I find funny and interesting and fewer screeching, cluster-B woke-scolds. Either the scolds all logged off at the same time, or--this is speculation on my part--the Tesla engineers Musk put in charge of Twitter's code shut down a big in-house bot farm. It would explain why he's planning to let go of three-fourths of the employees and already fired some of the executives.

Under "What's Happening," there are no more links to fact checkers (you know, the people who tell you that what you're seeing, hearing and figuring out for yourself is wrong) and I haven't seen any more "misinformation" warnings. Musk promised amnesty for all those in Twitter jail for minor offenses.

So the suppression of conservatives there is over. Even if you're a progressive, this is good: it's easier to exchange ideas without shadow bans, regular bans and misinformation warnings. Hearing other points of view and seeing new information helps you sharpen your own arguments--or change your mind.

Are you Absorbing Magnesium?

Since all the milk of magnesia has been contaminated with bleach (sodium hypochlorite), it's been hard to find a good, absorbable form of magnesium. Doctor's Best High Absorption magnesium tablets work better than most, but I've discovered a few supplements that are even better.

Doctor's Best High Absorption Magnesium Powder

It's the same thing as the tablets, but in a powdered form. I put some in my flavored coffee, along with Primal Kitchen Collagen Fuel, and it seems to work better than the tablets.

SodaStream with Bulk Supplements Magnesium

You can make magnesium water with a SodaStream machine and magnesium hydroxide powder. I bought a machine for about $100 on eBay and a packet of magnesium hydroxide from bulksupplements.com. It makes a really absorbable magnesium drink and I love the carbonation, especially when I add a little lemon or peppermint flavoring. There are YouTube tutorials on making the water.

Are you Getting Enough Iodine?

It looks like I wasn't. Iodine is an important nutrient, but it's overlooked even among people who recommend supplements. In a recent Zoom presentation, Dr. Davis discussed iodine and said that lowish free T4 and highish TSH (two thyroid markers) indicates low iodine. This was exactly what my last thyroid test showed. Coincidentally, I'd just started taking more iodine the form of kelp tablets--I'm up to 1,000 micrograms a day--and I feel a little more alive on it.

New Sweetener

I love a new sweetener called Whole Earth Stevia and Monk Fruit Liquid Sweetener in vanilla flavor. It has zero calories and you just need a few drops for, say, a cup of coffee. The container looks a lot like Trivia, so be careful when you shop for it. Product locator is here. I'm not an affiliate.

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Dana Carpender's Podcast; Dr. Davis on YouTube; Labor Day Sales

Dana Carpender, who's written several recipe books and other works on low-carb, has a podcast and is still writing articles at carbsmart.com. She's a terrific writer and amateur researcher (otherwise known as reading , as Jimmy Dore jokes ). I use her book 500 Low-Carb Recipes all the time and I'm looking forward to hearing more from her. I've embedded her podcast on my blog (click on the three lines at the top right if you don't see it, or go to Spotify or other podcast source if you're getting this by email). Carbsmart.com doesn't seem to have a blog feed, so if you want to see the latest posts there, you can sign up for notifications at their site. Dr. Davis has been putting a lot more videos on YouTube, so I've added his channel to the lineup. Click on the three lines on my blog if you don't see it, or go to his channel here . * * * * * Primal Kitchen is having a Labor Day sale-- 20% off everything. They sell high quality collagen powder, con...

Fermented bread and butter pickle recipe ft. L. Plantarum

After Dr. Davis said the other night that L. plantarum may reduce some of the effects of the herbicide glyphosate (which is everywhere), I'm re-running my recipe for fermented bread and butter pickles. Pickling cucumbers naturally have L. plantarum bacteria on them, and fermenting them with some brown sugar multiplies these bacteria. (Just don't use chlorinated water to wash them.) And if you're growing your own cucumbers, avoid spraying the fruits with Bacillus thuringiensis , or Bt (leaves and vines are OK). It's unclear what effect a big dose of Bt would have on humans. Another benefit of DIY pickles: no emulsifiers like polysorbate 80, which is a common ingredient in pickles. If you have GI problems, it could be from emulsifiers. These sweet-and-sour pickles are the tastiest I've ever made. There's just a little added sugar (some of which the bacteria will consume) and turmeric that gives the pickles their bright color. Special equipment Quar...

Collagen-filled Low Carb Burritos

Low-carb, grain-free Mexican food is hard to find, but it's easy to make your own at home. This recipe has an authentic ingredient: carne de lengua, or beef tongue. Don't be put off: beef tongue is tender, delicious, and full of collagen. Look for it directly from farmers in your area. To cook it, cut it in 1" to 1-1/2" slices and pressure cook for one hour. Enjoy the delicious broth as a bonus. Ingredients 1 slice cooked beef tongue, peeled and cut into small cubes 1 egg wrap (I use these from Egglife) 1/4 cup cooked black or pinto beans Chili pepper Oregano Garlic (powdered or minced) Cumin Guacamole (with no emulsifiers) Salsa Shredded cheddar cheese Sour cream or homemade cream cheese with no emulsifiers Put the egg wrap on a plate and put the beef and beans down the middle of it. Sprinkle with the herbs and spices. Wrap, turn over and microwave for 1-2 minutes. Spoon salsa over the burrito and sprinkle with cheese. Add guacamole and sour cream or homemade crea...

15% Off Starter Culture

Starter culture for the wonderful cream cheese I made is 15% off for the next two weeks (through June 18, 2025). The shop (BacillusBulgaricus.com) also offers rennet and starter for other cheeses, yogurt, kefir, kombucha, sour cream, fermented vegetables, and more. They ship to 118 countries across six continents. The coupon code is LORI_sekd3tkb at bacillusbulgaricus.com . Photo from Pexels .

Cardio: A Waste of Valuable Dance Time

"I'd rather hold a girl in my arms than a football." -Joe DeCicco, friend and dancing fanatic Have you heard that it takes a woman 77 hours of exercise to lose a kilogram of fat? (For us Americans, that's half a pound.) That's according to a study cited by Dr. John Briffa .(1) The women who huffed and puffed three hours a week for a year ended up 4.4 pounds lighter than the sedentary women. That doesn't surprise me: my own weight loss involved a lot less exercise than what I'd been doing. I did no cardio workouts, just strength training . I had more time and energy for dancing, which is a stress reliever, helps keep me in shape, and it's a ton of fun. It's not expensive to dance (as long as you stay away from the studios). I've found excellent lessons at clubs where the teachers really care about the students getting it. Here in Denver, there are dancing clubs that are run by nonprofit organizations, where the prices are reasonable and...

Pain, Pain, Go Away!

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