Starting from Scratch

I haven't written anything for public consumption in  years -  I think I felt like I wasn't a true expert in any one area well enough to put my neck out there.  After all, the world is full of so many talented, accomplished, and more well-educated people than me, right???

WRONG!  Today I'm throwing all of those feelings aside, and I'm allowing the inner writer in me to return.  I have finally found my platform, and for those of you interested in what I'm learning, I offer you this blog.  It's probably not going to be a fancy one, folks.  I will freely share links to the other real food bloggers out there who will blow you away with the wealth of information and links available on their sites.  My goal here is to simply share information with you as I learn it, and to report on how the changes in diet are affecting me and my family.

I won't lie, though - I want to share what I've learned in the hopes that you will take it to heart and make healthier choices as you can for you and your family.  I don't want you to feel judged when you read this blog, and I don't want you to feel guilty, either.  However, I have found that the baby steps I started taking years ago keep snowballing to the point where it's 3:15 a.m., and I can't sleep because I'm so excited about all the new things I'm learning.

A foodie-friend of mine told me recently, "Don't feel guilty about what you (fed your son/ate yourself) before. You didn't know then!"

But somebody did. Or should've realized that putting chemicals into regular food - for color, flavor, preservation, etc. - wasn't good for the human body. Or that genetically modifying the DNA of fruits and vegetables might cause cancerous tumors and early death.  Or that treating animals inhumanely and feeding them food other than what they would get in a natural environment would create disgusting beds of waste that would then require antibiotics en masse, and well, you get the picture...

For those of you who may not know me, I've always liked to cook from scratch, and I spent years before kids being a cookbook/Food Network/Cooking Light magazine junkie. At this point, I feel like I can cook pretty much anything from scratch without consulting a recipe first. I still do like to read recipes, but I don't have a lot of time for that these days, and I've never liked to follow them exactly anyways! 

I have been avoiding all artificial food colors (think Red 40, Blue Lake 7, Yellow 5, etc), monosodium glutamate (MSG), artificial preservatives, and both diet and regular sodas since I got pregnant with my son - so since August 2008.  The next 4 years I was either pregnant or breast feeding, plus running my own appraisal company solo (i.e. I didn't take maternity leave, people!).  Let's just say that by the time my daughter was 9 months old and hadn't slept through the night since she was 3 weeks old, I was turning into a crazy person!  To be precise, I started suffering from anxiety attacks, short temper, sleeplessness, appetite ups/downs, severe fatigue, adrenal burnout... the list could continue.

I was feeling down in the depths of despair during a time in my life when I should be walking on air - I have two beautiful, healthy children, a fantastic, loving husband, a wonderful home in one of the best cities in the U.S., supportive, fun mama friends ... another list I could continue.  Basically I was feeling guilt for not being as happy as I should and too tired to do anything about it! 

Luckily, it was the dark circles under my son's eyes, my severe aversion to the idea of antibiotics for my kids' inevitable school germs-that-lead-to-ear-infections, and a friend of a friend's incessant Facebook posts about REAL FOOD that turned it all around for me.  (You know who you are, Lindsey Gremont aka Homemade Mommy!)

In the last month, I have introduced numerous additions/changes to my diet and my cooking that I believe are healing me from the inside out.  I feel so much better already - have so much more energy and zest for life again - and I'm looking forward to feeling even better still as my body heals from years of nutrient deficiency.  I still make unhealthy food choices for myself from time to time.  My picky eater still has a long way to go, too.  I am still finding things in my pantry with ingredient lists that make me want to vomit. Every day I am reading more about food and health, and learning more about the horrible, widespread food deceptions that I believe are a main cause of all the sickness and pain and heartbreak in this country.

I'll leave you with that for today, as I realize this is getting long.  Upcoming posts will cover the following topics (and more!):

Minerals - Why you need them and Where to get them
Kombucha gives you wings!
Cookies for breakfast?
My new soap, for everything
Organic homemade vanilla extract
On fermenting and fermenting foods
Smoked and "smoked" salmon
Butter is back!  And en masse
Adventures in making beef stock
My fall garden plans
Current dietary supplements I'm taking and why
Real food success stories from my personal picky eater
Trip to the REAL farm!
SUCCESSFUL non-medicinal treatment for ear infections



Thanks for reading! 
Jill