Eat To Live

A little more than five years ago, soon after my third little blessing was born, I realized that my tummy had some issues. Looking back now, I realize that these problems have been life long, I just hadn't paid that much attention to them or chalked them up to other causes. But when I finally realized how crappy I felt, how bad my tummy hurt all the time, how much time I was spending in the bathroom after meals and between meals, I realized I needed to do something. At that time I was working with my Mum in her lovely Tea Shop, where we made and served the most wonderful baked items, lunches, desserts, teas...oh it was just my favorite place EVER! So were the ladies we met along that journey - what a joy they were! We made everything from scratch, mostly from organic ingredients, and it was probably the healthiest place in town...unless you have food allergies.
I spent the next few years trying to isolate what disagreed with me, using my own elimination testing. I now recommend that you go to the doctor for that! Wow, was I ever wrong. First I thought, well, I just don't handle carbohydrates very well. So I cut waaaay back on breads, crackers, potatoes, pasta, and ate mostly protein - meat, eggs, yogurt - with a smattering of fruits and vegetables. That didn't work, and instead I felt worse after a few months! I lost quite a bit of weight, but that probably had something to do with copious amounts of coffee, very little food, and a huge stress load...
So then I though to myself, "Self, perhaps we have a gluten intolerance!" It certainly fit a lot of the symptoms I was having, seemed like a good bet, so off we went down that rabbit trail. Several months of gluten free, high meat and cheese intake, moderate vegetable consumption...and I gained over 20 pounds and was still sick. My husband and I got married around this time, and with his wisdom, decided it was time to go for real allergy testing! 
This was also about the same time that my parents went fairly vegetarian (still eating fish) and I thought they were nuts! How do you survive without meat?? Remember, I only like meat if it doesn't taste anything like meat, so who's the crazy one? My mum shared some nice recipes with me, my belly felt good, I didn't spend the evening in the bathroom, didn't get a migraine or light headed or an asthma attack...it was nice! So I ventured into the only eating fish arena, but kept the eggs and dairy while I was allergy testing. And then the results came in.
I am allergic to Barley,Beef, Carrots, Coffee, Coconut, Cinnamon, Egg Whites, Egg Yolks, and am lactose intolerant. Yeah, read that list again. Now go check the bread you have in your pantry, your bagels, salad dressings, and all your prepackaged foods. Uh-huh. Malt is Barley. Albumen is Egg. Vegetable broth? Yup, carrots. 
That's enough to make you change what's in your fridge and pantry, now isn't it? Add to that the extensive reading on nutritional studies I had been doing and the way my tummy felt when I didn't put toxic ingredients into it, and it made a convincing argument for "going vegan"! 
In November of 2012, I made the decision to adopt a Plant Based lifestyle.  There are many more reasons for this beyond the allergies and digestive issues, and hopefully in the coming months I'll be able to intelligently share those with you and allow you the opportunity to improve your health, and the ongoing health of your family and children, for generations to come. It is my desire to be the best mommy and wife, the healthiest me that I can be, and a good steward of all the goodness we have been blessed with.  I want to live until I'm ancient, with lots of great-great grand babies to fully enjoy - it is my desire to eat to live, and I hope one day you will share that drive with me. 
Blessings, and munch well!