Dear Lenore,

Thank you so much for the advice! You always seem to make so much sense...
I'll start on the seeds as soon as I go off the yasmin (blessed thistle as well if I can find it) and I guess I'll give the oatmeal a try - coming to think of it I haven't eaten it since childhood so perhaps it's not as awful as I think!

Love,
Chris

Hi Chris:
I'm right in there with you. I have some fenuegreek seeds for tea. And I have access to an Indian grocery store through my neighbor. There's an herb store down the street but I'll see what price they have for Blessed Thistle.

I don't digest oatmeal all that well so I started eating it already to get used to it. I'm on my 2nd month of the protocol and our baby is due, via Surrogacy, this September 11th. The oatmeal tastes rather bland so I suspect you'll do fine. Why not put some cardamon in it? And that delicious brown sugar sorgham.

Let me know how you make out on the herb research. If we have to buy quantity,then it's best to shop around.

Good luck,

Hi Ladies,

Another option is to buy in bulk from www.vitacost.com. And I think Nona has info on another source. Nona?

Fondly,

http://www.herbalcom.com/ for the blessed thistle powder free shipping
http://www.bulkfoods.com for the fenugreek. 5 lbs. powder 11.86 shipping included

Ladies,

Thank you so much for all your input!!!

Very iffy about ordering herbs from the US into Brazil as customs here is bound to be a major problem... could end up in jail.

Anyhow, I will be going to Germany on my way to the Philippines where our baby will be born in early June (talk about globalisation...) and will have some sent there and pick it up along with my PIS, which my mother is buying for me - again, hopeless in Brazil.

Loveydovey, thanks for the hint about the cardamom-sounds brilliant. I think we are talking the same language here! Almost nothing you can't make palatable with the right spices-will certainly try it.

I don't know if fenugreek loses its potency when cooked but if it doesn't a nice way of eating it would be with lentils or pulses of any kind - you do not need to make an Indian daal from scratch, fry a little chopped onion and garlic with fenugreek and maybe some ground cumin and coriander, chili and a curry leaf or two and add a can of lentils or chickpeas or whatever you have available - yummy, quick and healthy.

Love,
Chris

Chris:
That sounds dee-lish. I have a package mix of Rava Dosai (pan bread) that I can dip into it. I have fenugreek in my garden which I will harvest and supplement into that recipe. I will still take the capsules for quantity dosage. Don't know if heat kills the constituent and sounds like we can take it on a full stomach so absorption's not affected, right Lenore?

Wow! You really are all around the globe. Now you should have one more stop on your list = India = to try the authentic cuisine. LOL!!!

Take care,
P.S. My name is Chris, too. Christine

Hey Chris,

Mine's for Christiane. I suspect at some stage they will ask us to start a separate recipe forum... anyway, tell me about the rava dosai - South Indian style dosas are just incredibly good, but I've found all the recipes I've seen so far a little daunting - have you tried the package yet?

BTW, the papaya in the oatmeal was largely due to the fact that I had several slightly over-ripe ones in the fridge - try using whatever yummy fruit you have locally.

Love,
Chris