Feeding the Body, Mind, and Spirit/Soul…
One Step at a Time
Respect Yourself.
Listen, Simplify, and
Let Go
Things that will
be shared here represent fragments in a journey. These fragments represent
moments in my quest to acquire whole health for my daughter and our family. May
seeds of inspiration and awareness be planted from sharing our story and experiences.
Important: What works for one does not mean it works for everyone!
Remember there is no right or wrong, just many rights, and
your right might not fit another’s right. Take what intrigues you and leave the
rest behind. Research, educate yourself, listen to your inner voice, and do
what speaks to you. Become aware.
So, let’s begin
to share. For me, I thought it all began when our daughter started to show
signs of poor health, when she was two years old. However, looking back through
my life, I can see I had not ever had true health. I just was not aware. What
have I learned up to this point to allow me to understand the nature of life? I
have learned that I am still learning. I have learned that it is not just the
food we fuel our bodies with, it is also, the thoughts of our minds, our
emotions and how we feel about ourselves, as well as, how others affect us and
make us feel. There is a life force in everything and that life force equals a
whole. Now when you begin to break things down into segments of that whole, you
begin to see how the food you eat, your thoughts, your actions and the actions
of others are a form of that life force/energy and how it affects you. And
however those segments affect you, will affect your mind and soul, and however
it affected your mind and soul, will show within your physical body. So where
do you begin?
Well, our story
began with food. As our daughter aged, we noticed how she seemed more sensitive
to certain foods; more so than others. So, in the spring of 2005, we adapted a
raw lifestyle. While this didn’t provide whole health it opened a door. I
gained information of new concepts and knowledge about the food we ate. From
this point, my interest began to grow. Over time, other concepts would jump out
at me and I learned to pay attention.
May you begin to
plant and nurture new seeds with light and love. I have been pretty determined
to find whole health for my daughter and family, so we have done some things
that many would and have had a difficult time maintaining. However, it can be
done and once your body starts to experience and feel true health you want
more. My suggestion would be to start out bit by bit and be kind to you. People
should have no guilt and just do the best they can. There are plenty of highs
and lows in a journey. The following are some changes we made in the beginning
and still practice today.
1. We began by
eliminating our entire kitchen of any and all processed foods and sugar. This
process was accomplished by simply throwing it away or giving it away. Honestly,
it was quite a liberating experience. In addition, when we went to the grocery
store, we only purchased items located on the perimeter. Eventually, we really
only went to the produce section and used the inner aisles to retrieve
household items like toilet paper, laundry detergent, paper towels or vinegar.
This is still practiced today. We focus on growing our own organically, going
to the farmer’s markets to buy local organic, and all other items come from the
grocery store. Yes, we always try to purchase organic when we can. We have
learned which produce is sprayed more so than others and use this information
when purchasing conventional produce. This link shows a list of the most
heavily sprayed fruits and vegetables - http://gaiahealthcare.com/list-of-the-most-heavily-sprayed-fruits-and-vegetables/
Remember: Research and educate yourself!
2. Keep your
kitchen clean and eat out less. Have you ever noticed when you keep your
kitchen clean you are more likely to have a desire to use it? Focus on eating
more whole foods. Be inventive and experiment. It is a great opportunity to get
the whole family involved. It is a moment to spend quality time with each other
and instill great values for your children to carry on into their future.
3. Make a list
and stay focused. Before we go to the grocery store we make a list of items we
would like to have for the upcoming week. It usually contains green and red
leaf lettuce, kale or collard greens, dandelions (if available), vegetables,
and fruits. We do not focus on buying breads or too many milk products. We will
purchase unsweetened original/vanilla coconut or almond milk once in awhile. If
we are purchasing butter, we focus on making sure it is a grass-fed source.
This is also focused on when purchasing our meats. When we do purchase meat, we
only purchase what I refer to as clean meats; grass-fed sources, no hormones,
no antibiotics, etc. Our daughter is sensitive to eggs, but my husband and I still
eat them. Educate yourself about the eggs in your store. When I am not able to
get farm-fresh local eggs, I only purchase pasture-raised eggs. We also keep
our house stocked with Bragg’s Apple Cider Vinegar. This is what we use to wash
our produce, besides the number of other health benefits it offers. Fruits
serve as a main sugar source for our family, as well as, organic local honey. Another
source is maple syrup. Learn what the different grades mean and choose the one
best for you. Many individuals choose grade B, but our family is keen on
organic Grade “A” Dark Amber maple syrup. From researching, I came across Casey
Seidenberg, who shared how to replace
a cup of white sugar in recipes with a third-cup to a half-cup of maple syrup
and reduce the recipe’s liquid measurement by a quarter-cup. On another note,
over the years we learned why agave was not a good sugar source. I also
learned when I was craving chocolate my body was actually craving magnesium.
Here is great link to help you find and learn more clean
meat sources in your area http://www.eatwild.com/products/
Educate yourself to learn the terms for the eggs you
purchase. This link is a great start and presents a short video to educate the
public. It is a great six minutes video to broaden the knowledge of where our
food is coming from.
The Weston A. Price Foundation is a great source to learn
more about health and food for the body. http://www.westonaprice.org/
4. Prep. I will
make time to pull out our very large Pyrex bowl and add two tablespoons of
apple cider vinegar (ACV). Then I fill the bowl ¾ the way full with clean
filtered water. This is used to wash all of our lettuce greens for the next
couple of weeks.
Seperate the leaves from the head and rinse briefly, then
place them in the bowl. Add more water to make sure water covers the top of the
leaves. Leave for approximately 15 minutes. Sometime during the 15 minutes flip
the bottom leaves to the top. Rinse in clean water and spin in a lettuce
spinner. If you do not have a lettuce spinner, remember in the days forgotten
pillow cases were used. The lettuce would be placed inside a pillow case, then it
would be swung around to dry those greens. I finish off by laying the washed
lettuce out on clean towels spread out on the kitchen counter to completely
dry. Once the lettuce is dried well, I place them all in an extra large
container with a lid in the refrigerator. This allows for instant salads or
wraps when one is hungry. The vinegar bath method is also used to wash all of
our fruit and vegetables. Years ago, I incorporated Anne Louise Gittleman’s
Clorox bath mentioned in her book “The
Fat Flush Plan”. For thin-skinned fruits I soak approximately for 5-10
minutes. I just use my judgment. For thick-skinned fruits and vegetables, I
soak approximately for 30 minutes. Having fruit and lettuce greens cleaned and
ready to eat makes my life a lot easier when someone becomes hungry.
Written by Me, not an
expert, not a doctor, just a mother, who is moving towards whole health and
happiness…one step at a time. – LeAnn Cline
Please remember
health is a journey,
and like life, there
is one constant…change.
What is today, might
not be tomorrow.
There are always new
beginnings.
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