Most of my childhood I experienced major blood sugar crashes, I was cold all the time, I had lactose intolerance and gluten intolerance. Although I wasn't diagnosed with those things I paid the consequence for eating them- I just thought that was how everybody lived. Once I lived on my own I took out most dairy and noticed a huge difference in my body. I felt so much better, although I didn't take out bread entirely I stayed away as much as I could. I tried to eat healthy but that contained mostly of non-fat, sugar- free, margarine, vegetable oils... what society told me was "healthy." I had no idea that non-fat, sugar- free and bad fats were contributing to my hormone imbalances, and fluctuating weight.
When I was pregnant with Bree I ate fairly healthy, or what I thought was healthy at the time. I increased my veggies, ate low fat, non-fat, sugar free... you name it. When I gave birth to her we were two hours away from our home for the three month NICU stay and so that meant that we ate out a lot... and being out of work and on a budget meant taco bell, jack in the box (or jack in the crack as my hubby lovingly calls it). Any cheap and quick meals we could inhale before going back into the hospital room. It was awful. I literally put on more weight in the NICU than I did my entire pregnancy. Fast forward 50lbs heavier and 2 months out of the NICU I seriously didn't recognize myself I had put on so much weight! I was just trying to get through all those 3am feedings, the stress of our experience and process life a bit, that I forgot to stop eating bad at home too! Nate and I were just trying to wrap our heads around the last few months and how we were going to move forward with it all, that food was at the bottom of the list. I definitely believe that there are seasons where eating healthy is a challenge, or even impossible. I don't put shame or blame on that season of life, we did the best we could with what we had. The problem comes when that becomes the lifestyle, just trying to survive. We had to come out of the fog and making some hard choices, once we were in a place to do so- and that dear friends is what started our healing in so many ways.
Nate and I researched, and talked to a ton of people out there on diets, nutrition and getting the weight off. I was horrified to find out that trans-fats do get into breast milk, and so I knew I had to make a change and do it quick for Bree's health and my own. We heard of gluten free, dairy free, vegan.. we tried most of them, but I still had hormone imbalances, and while the weight was coming off I still felt like crap. But then we stumbled upon Nourishing Traditions, and everything changed. Within a month of eating traditionally prepared food Nate and I both lost a considerable amount of weight, and my hormones balanced out, I don't struggle with lactose intolerance or gluten intolerance (as long as they are traditionally prepared). It hasn't been a passing fad in our home, in fact, it has allowed me to have a strong and healthy pregnancy, and helped our little Bree gain weight at a healthy rate (which can be a struggle for preemies).I love the title of the book Nourishing Traditions, because it puts the focus where food should be- nourishing. Food is meant to fuel the body- that's it! Food isn't meant to make me feel better, it's purpose isn't meant to take away depression, or make any defining statements about my body. Food is fuel, nothing more. It doesn't have the power to dictate anything about my identity, unless I allow it to- and I'm not doing that. Food is also meant to be enjoyed, it isn't meant to be this process of guilt and shame, or stuffing and over eating. We are meant to be filled with nutritionally dense foods to fuel our body to be the best we were made to be! These concepts have not only allowed me to change the way I view food but also my identity. I now enjoy the meals that we eat and I don't feel bad about them just because they are tasty!
So, what do we eat....
We eat anything that is real, not processed, and I prepare our meals in the traditional sense of soaking and fermenting. While it does require more work, I have woven into our busy schedules as part of our routine and the benefits have been amazing!
One of my favorite bloggers to follow is Mama Natural, she first introduced me to Nourishing Traditions, check out her video on how she stumbled upon the book and what changes she has experienced! http://www.mamanatural.com/irl-38/
Here are some links to great resources so that you can have a healthy, full and nutritious life!
http://www.amazon.com/Nourishing-Traditions-Challenges-Politically-Dictocrats/dp/0967089735
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/truth-about-low-fat-foods
http://www.westonaprice.org/
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