How Do I Start?

When I first started trying to eat healthy, I had panic attacks EVERY TIME I walked into a grocery store.  I was pretty sure that almost everything I ate was going to kill me. I HATED having to look at labels and trying to determine if things were really "ALL NATURAL".  I knew how to look at calories, fats, and carbs, but I had no clue what else I was supposed to look for.  I also had no clue how to cook, and quickly became frustrated with recipes that I was supposed to make from scratch with "real" ingredients.  I hope to give you pointers today to save you from my misery.  I also hope you leave today with lots of encouragement that you CAN cook healthy and fast.

1. Sugar: "POUR SOME SUGAR ON ME" was a famous song by DEF LEPARD. This song came to my mind as I was reading up about the truth about sugars. Your BEST option is to sweeten with HONEY or 100% PURE MAPLE SYRUP. The next best thing is pure cane sugar. White sugar and Brown sugar are refined and the body doesn't digest them well so they are considered  "Empty Calories" that your body stores instead of processing. Avoid High Fructose Corn Syrup.  Artificial sweeteners like Aspartame and Sucralose actually HURT the body. They may be calorie-free, but the interfere with the digestion of other foods. For me, artificial sweeteners give me a horrible headache and stomach ache within an hour (even something as small as drinking Crystal Light).
Brands I trust: Simple Truth, Kashi, Cascadian Farm, Nature's Valley, Live G Free (found at Aldi), Cliff

2. Butter and Oil: Avoid margarine.  It is processed and again your body can't use it.  Use REAL butter, Olive Oil, Coconut Oil, and Grapeseed Oil to cook and bake.

3. Fresh and Frozen: Buy meats, vegetables, and fruits that are either fresh (best option) or frozen.  Avoid the pre-seasoned meats, vegetables, and dinners as they typically have added ingredients that your body has trouble digesting.

4. Generic or Name Brand: Compare the ingredients.  Sometimes they are very similar, so save money and buy generic.  Other times, the ingredients are completely different, so you need to buy name brand.  One example is sour cream.  Daisy Sour Cream ingredients are: cultured cream. Other brands have over 10 artificial ingredients (so much for JUST CREAM).

5. Favorite Seasonings: Chili Powder, Cinnamon, Cayenne Pepper, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Salt, Pepper, Lemon Pepper

6. EASY recipe:
    Chili:   Brown 2 lbs of hamburger and drain grease.
                In crock pot add 1 qt of tomato juice, 5 TBSP Chili Powder, 1 TBSP Cinnamon, and 1tsp 
                of Cayenne Pepper.  Flavor improves the longer it is in the crock pot



My Story

My goal with creating this blog is to help others who are on this crazy journey of NO ENERGY, CONSTANT HEADACHES, WEIGHT GAIN, and JOINT PAINS.  I PROMISE you there IS HOPE. 

I am an Occupational Therapist so am well trained in the different muscles of the body, as well as how the body should move.  I spent 6 years attempting to figure out "What was wrong with me" and "what I was going to do about it".   My Mom was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia when she was in her 50s and had low energy and aches and pains since she was 33.  I was pretty positive this was the path that I was following so sought after Medical Help.  I had constant stomach pains as well as joint pains, so was given mixtures of Zantac, Prilosec, Pain Patches, IB Profin, Cortisone shots, Physical Therapy, and Chiropractic Care.  Unfortunately, little changed in my body until I changed my diet.

Last summer I was living on Bone Broth, Oatmeal, and Soup due to severe stomach pains and STILL was not loosing weight.  (In my opinion I should have been a toothpick considering how little calories I was consuming).  I had no energy, but my joints felt a little better after going Gluten Free.  I then began studying more about something called "Leaky Gut Syndrome".  This means that my body attacks EVERYTHING that I eat because food particles leak out into my blood stream before they are fully digested and my body attacks them like it would a virus (not good).  I finally sought help with herbs to help my intestines heal as well as help me digest my food. 

Just a couple months after going Gluten Free and eating limited artificial preservatives, I completed a 5 mile mud run / obstacle course.  For the last 6 years before that my joints hurt SOOOO bad that I had to take IBProfin in order to fold and put away laundry, had to use a chair to get up off the floor, was not able to kneel in church, my knee dislocated when I was swing-dancing, my back went out when playing Ping-Pong, I couldn't run, and walking up hills in my subdivision hurt horribly.

I had to learn how to cook food from scratch instead of using pre-packaged foods - this was a HUGE challenge because I HATE being in the kitchen.  I searched for EASY recipes that I could make QUICK. 

My goal is to help you on your journey as well.  I will be posting simple recipes as well as quick foods that you can buy in order to help you eat healthier and get rid of your aches and pains!