One day healthier.....

My journey to health has certainly been a day to day challenge that has not always been easy.  It all started for me about 5 years ago when my health took a sudden decline after years of eating processed foods, dairy (even when I knew I was allergic!), breads, pastas, fast food and drinking so many soda's and sweet tea one could handle in a day!  I was struggling with stomach pains, constipation, migraine headaches, lethargy, and hormonal imbalances just to name a few. On a desperate attempt to figure out what was going on, my husband flew me back to Michigan to visit a doctor that had helped our family in the past. She had a degree in Western and Eastern medicine and specialized in nutritional medicine, acupuncture, and medicinal herbal treatments. I was very uncomfortable and nervous about the potential treatments she was going to do but I was at rock bottom and at this point willing to try anything. After seeing her every day that week for 2 hours each day, I sobbed, hugged her and told her she had saved my life.  I was blown away by the treatments I was receiving and how my body was already responding. While seeing her she also instructed me to eliminate all dairy and sugar. Yikes, that was not easy! She explained that the inflammation in my body caused by these triggers would be working against what she was trying to accomplish. I left Michigan and flew home feeling better than I had in a long time. She asked me to eat very clean for the next 6 weeks with tons of dark veggies and all the while no sugar and dairy. I soon realized sugar is in everything! It was a process to adapt my diet but after seeing how my body was responding I knew I had to stay the course. I was fortunate to have a husband that would do or eat anything to have his wife feeling great and back to her old self again. During these 6 weeks I had little to no headaches, tons of energy, my skin looked amazing and my menstrual cycles were once again regular after many years of being all over the map.  After the 6 weeks I started to introduce the old culprits back into my diet only to realize I would feel immediately sick.  So needless to say, I was trying to avoid sugar and dairy at all costs. But many years of bad habits like to come creeping back in.  I was naive to think I could eat the way I had in my past and still reap the health benefits I was experiencing. I would be lying to say it has been easy. The first few years of eating a diet with no refined sugar or dairy was difficult. Traveling, family gatherings, and eating at restaurants became a nightmare for me. There were many tears of frustration and confusion as to why my body was rejecting these foods so harshly when I had eaten them my whole life. It took a lot for me to realize that I had been slowly poisoning my body. I didn't understand that until the poison was removed just how much I was damaging my gut, adrenal glands, and liver.  I prayed daily that God would give me the strength to avoid these foods that I knew would only hurt my body.   In time, I gained a much needed new perspective. I was no longer going to be frustrated  and angry with my new diet and lifestyle .  I saw clearly that God was only protecting my health from much worse struggles down the road!
 I have met many others over the past few years with similar health struggles and I am beyond blessed to be able to help guide them to new foods and recipes.  If any part of my struggle can help others then I am grateful.   Romans 8:28 says that God causes all things to work together for the good of those who love Him, to those who are called according to His purpose.
I hope you are blessed with these recipes as much as I have been!