The Practices that Sustain Me: Food

I have always loved eating.  Food excites me.  In college, my sister and I would pool our resources and feed our little families elaborate creations that costed very little, but tasted very good.  I taught myself to cook.  In my early married days I stumbled through the kitchen, and threw out many a pan of gravy.  When becoming a mother, food became very important to me in a different way.  The quality of the food, where it came from, and how it was prepared grew more significant to me because I wasn't only feeding myself anymore, but I was feeding growing children.  Having chosen to exclusively breastfeed them, and knowing the satisfaction of that and the good health it brought them, I had to carry that over to their relationship with food.  I suddenly understood why my grandmothers would beg us to eat, eat more, and get so happy when we did.

In college and newly married...

The food I ate hasn't always worked in favor for my health and my body.  Most of my life I've shuffled between being somewhat overweight or very overweight.  When I dieted, I starved, exercised hard, and binged on cheat days.  I lost weight, but it didn't last.  Eventually I would cave, being tired of struggling with what I could and wanted to eat.  

When I gave birth to my first daughter, I knew I wanted her to maintain her confidence and a positive body image.  I wanted to give her the blessing of healthy eating.  I just didn't know how to be the example of that for her.  I wasn't comfortable in my own body.  I've always been athletic, active, and fit at all weights.  What was on the outside and how sluggish and sick I felt so often didn't reflect the person I knew I was.  I didn't feel attractive at all and I wasn't sure what I should try next to change that.

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I tried being a vegetarian along with my husband for five years.  Breastfeeding made me crave meat so voraciously, I had to eat it.  I tried limiting portions and felt hungry all the time.  I stopped drinking pop.  I didn't buy as many sweets.  I ate food from health food stores.  While I would drop some weight with these changes, it wasn't significant and didn't help me to feel any better.

7 months pregnant with daughter #2...

When I gave birth to my second daughter, I weighed around 240lbs.  My daughter was 11lbs. at birth.  I had some complications with giving birth, and looking back, I do believe my eating habits and our collective weights had a large role to play in that outcome.  It was after her birth that I knew I had to take control of this.  I had to find my happy place with food.  There couldn't be any more diets.  My practices around food had to be a way of life.  It had to be compatible with feeding my family - growing children and working husband.  I had to learn how to be nurtured by food and how to prepare food for good health.

At this time, I was fortunate enough to be walking with a mama friend who introduced me to the book Nourishing Traditions and the work of theWeston A. Price Foundation with Sally Fallon.

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I couldn't believe I was spending so much for such a huge cookbook.  I knew next to nothing about cooking.  Reading Nourishing Traditions permanently changed my life, and I'll be forever grateful to my friend for sharing this work with me.

It took me a year before I felt up to applying any of the principles I learned through Nourishing Traditions.  During this time, I was learning about metabolism, genetics, and proper nutrition, I realized that I needed to be checked for thyroid issues.  Sure enough, I had hypothyroidism and would need medication to treat it.

This step coupled with my adopting a whole, traditional foods lifestyle for our family has brought me to a place of the best health I've experienced in my life.  I'm stronger.  I'm fitter.   I've learned to eat for my metabolism and genetic predispositions.  I get sick much less often.  I also maintain a normal weight with little effort beyond living a healthy lifestyle.  Food doesn't bring burden upon me anymore.  I don't count calories or fat.  I eat what my family eats.  Food isn't a crutch, but a joy.  I'll never be able to unlearn this stuff and because of that, I don't know (outside of abnormal circumstances) that I'll ever find myself eating theStandard American Diet (SAD) again.

Me today!

People will ask me how I have lost weight and made progress.  I often find that when I begin to explain how I have done it, most don't want to hear what I have to say.  The truth is if you are looking for convenience, I don't know that you'll find the long term results that you are looking for.  This is a way of life, not a diet.  It is permanent change.  It is a whole family evolution.  It is learning to respect food and prepare it lovingly so that it nourishes your body and everyone you feed with it.  A real food lifestyle takes commitment, planning, and a willingness to always be learning.  You must be dedicated to making healthy changes.  Being willing to begin right where you are and build slowly is important to the process.  I'm so thankful for what I've discovered that I'm always willing to share with others.

Principles for the Beginning:

• Shop the perimeter of the grocery store.  Plan your meals around as many whole fresh foods you can manage.  Buy organic fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables when possible.  Frequent your local farmers' market for a local alternative for produce and many specialty items - think farm fresh eggs.
• Drop all foods containing refined granulated sugar and high fructose corn syrup (read labels).  This means no soda pop.  It'll be ok.  I promise.  You'll be thankful once the withdrawal is over.
• Do not eat baked goods made with white flour or highly processed "healthier" versions made with whole grains.  Instead replace them with soaked, sprouted, or fermented whole and ancient grains.  Food for Life - Ezekiel Bread is my favorite ready made brand.  
• FAT is GOOD for you!  There is no need to purchase "low fat" food items.  Our body thrives from healthy fats found in raw/fermented dairy, cream butter, nuts, coconut oil, animal fats, and olive oil.  Instead of buying low fat foods, replace margarine, canola and other fattening vegetable oils with healthy fats and cooking oils. 
• Find some exercise/movement that makes you happy.  My personal choice is yoga which I have written about before.  Do this activity as often as you can.

If you can tackle these five things, you are well on your way to healthier living.  It isn't easy.  I caught a lot of flack for my choices at first, but I stand by my convictions and the results I have seen.  I'm comfortable in my imperfect body because it is healthy and most of the time it serves me very well.  It isn't about weight any longer, but it has become about whether or not I'm optimally utilizing the body I have for max benefit.  It is a temple after all.  I'm also confident about the food I'm feeding my family.  It won't be long until you too will be eating pizza for dinner and calling it healthy - because it is!

The pizza recipe from Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon.

Some Links for More Reading:

• Nourished Kitchen
• Cheeseslave
• Intentionally Domestic

* Kelli B. Haywood - Confluence Mama is an Amazon Affiliate.