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I have long been passionate about the power of healthy eating and love helping others eat healthier too. I have always believed that every system in a well-nourished body will function better. One of my quests in life is to create healthy food that can be enjoyed by everyone, not just the health nuts like me. Having retired from web development to raise my kids, this blog is a place that is keeping the never-ending job of feeding our family of seven (six males plus me) FUN and giving me a chance to share what has worked (and maybe a few things that haven’t!)

Transitioning to More Plants

Nearly four years ago we began transitioning to a more whole-foods plant-focused diet. We had been dealing with digestive disorders in our family and examining so many approaches to food, studying the Word of Wisdom again and again and trying to decide just which healthy path was right for us. It was at this time that I had the nuttiest of the health nuts move into my neighborhood and introduce me to a new way of eating I knew little about. I considered myself fairly well-informed in terms of health and thought that little to no meat, dairy, oil or processed food seemed pretty extreme and maybe even rather unhealthy.

But with time and learning about how some of the healthiest communities in the world consume minimal animal products, and that drinking more milk is actually associated with more fractures and disease we decided to give it a try. Although it seemed unimaginable to give up nearly all meat and dairy, gradually we began eating more and more plants and less and less animals. It was very hard, even exhausting at times. But with time we saw enough health benefits to never go back. We still enjoy meat and dairy on occasion, but focus on making sure the foods we eat day in and day out are as healthy as possible. We began our plant-based journey shortly after the birth of our fourth boy. I ate almost entirely plant-based for my most recent pregnancy (at 37), and boy #5 was not only completely healthy but my biggest baby at 10 lbs 4 oz!

Our Health Benefits

We are hardly ever sick— our episodes of throwing up, nasty colds and flu are few, far between and when they do hit, relatively mild and brief. We have kids in public school, preschool, nursery and I have been out of hand-sanitizer for quite some time. I’ve learned a few home remedies, but I rarely take my kids to the doctor for anything but check ups. The only time my husband or I really get sick is following a trip or other departure from our normal routine.

I run faster. I really didn’t change anything in my running routine, and began noticing this when I was still up regularly at night with my baby. There was no reason for me to be running this fast but even now I am able to keep a faster pace and the feeling of dragging through my workouts is generally a distant memory.

My husband’s digestive issues have improved. We still have a long road of things to figure out here, but he has noticed definite improvements.

My kids are better behaved. I really only notice this when they come home having eaten a lot of treats or junk away from home and I start thinking, who are you? I firmly believe there is a neurological impact of what we put into our bodies, and some of us are especially sensitive to this. This is particularly clear to me for some of my kids. Research has even shown that a more plant-based diet improves mood, depression and anxiety.

These are just a few of the benefits, but having experimented with this path I am convinced that feeding our bodies with nearly all nutrient dense foods strengthens every system and allows it to perform better. We are far from perfect and I feel like we still have a whole lot to learn, but feeling great

Cancer Reversal and Prevention

After a year of eating this way, we learned my dad was diagnosed with a rare, aggressive cancer with few treatment options. This furthered my research into the way eating mostly plants can both prevent and reverse cancer. Even though ultimately we did lose my dad, the experience solidified my conviction in the power of our food choices and the importance of educating ourselves to become our own best doctors.

I have Janeen Alley to thank for helping me down this path. She introduced me to the plant strong approach and gave me the opportunity to participate in her initial coaching program launch. Her knowledge not just of how to eat healthy, but also how to make healthy changes in any aspect of our lives really stick in have been life-changing. Her free Facebook group is worth exploring.

Regardless of where you are in your health journey, I hope you’ll join us in our quest to eat a little better every day.

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