If you had asked me how I care for my body in 2005, it would be almost 180 degrees different from what I believe in now.  I ate low fat, low calorie, packaged, processed, soy, protein bars, margarine and had no idea where my meat was coming from or what comprised a conventional carrot from a bio-dynamically grown carrot.  I worked out 2-3 hours a day at the nicest gym this side of Portland and had no idea how to cook anything beyond a salad and rice.  My cabinets were full of bleach, chemicals, fragranced detergents, fabric softeners, febreeze and smelly plug in things.  I wore whatever was the strongest deodorant, heavily applied the cosmetics and dyed my hair every 6 weeks.  I wanted a loft in downtown, the finances to never need to cook or have to worry about learning anything domestic.  I had visions of maids and nannies so I didn’t have to do housework.  I was often sick, often tired, moody and emotionally spent.  I felt like I was being dragged along in a current of consumption, power and ‘every man for himself’.  It was an impossible goal to live up to the airbrushed images in ads and to maintain a life of magazine expectations.  My ‘hobbies’ included working out…. and…. shopping??  I honestly cant remember what I used to do in my free time.

But while I had dreams of granduar and high living, I also had a subtle pull to nature.  To quiet, simplicity and the wilderness.  I tried desperately to muffle those urges, but as soon as I became pregnant with our first son, those desires gripped my heart and drove me to a complete life change.

Fast forward to today.

There is no detergent, no deodorant, no fake fragrances or chemical cleaners in the cupboards.  You will hardly find a pre-packaged box of food in the kitchen beyond the occasional box of quinoa pasta noodles or coconut flour.  There are bins of lentils and whole rye berries in the garage.  The chest freezer is packed with lamb, rabbit, chicken, beef and even a goose from our favorite small family farm that practices beyond-organic farming.  Our produce is grown out back or picked up from the farmers market.  We love raw honey, and have said goodbye to sugar.  We heartily consume butter, cream, lard and cheese and the words ‘low fat’ are bad words in our household .  You’ll see chickens pecking happily in the backyard, our 2 boys playing in the dirt, and I will often times be in the kitchen making cheese, yogurt, rendering lard or fermenting kraut or kombucha.  My hair is in dreads, my makeup is often a swipe of flour or wind swept rose-y cheeks, and our clothes are thrifted or purchased direct from the seller.  I feel stronger, more feminine, wholesome and grounded than I ever have.  I can swing an axe and knit a sweater.  I am learning the domestic arts and wild crafting herbs.  It is a joy to care for the nourishment and well being of my family and of myself.  I have found health in tradition, simplicity and learning how to make things by hand.  It is enjoyable and hard work.

From the stand point of overall health… I weigh the same amount as the past stage of life even after having our 2 sons, I have more energy, less sickness and more emotional stability.  There are still issues that plague me (gluten intolerance as well as many other food issues) but there is improvement and an overall feeling of better balance.

However.  We are still on this journey.  We make exceptions.  We go out to eat and drink coffee at our favorite cafes.  We occasionally  indulge in over-stimulated thrills, like theme parks or movies.  We are human, and it has been a lesson in balance, compromise (sometimes for the sake of our marriage!) and living in our world in a way that allows us to interact comfortably with our community and neighbors.  There is an ideal in my head of living 100% off the land and off the grid, but that isn’t our reality. I am learning to live a life of abundance, which means a life free of guilt and uncompromising expectations.  Because the people in my life and in this world are what matter most.  I hope my ideals never become more important than the souls around me….

For a deeper view in our ‘food and nourishment practices’ please check out these resources

Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon Our food ‘bible

Weston A. Price Foundation Wise Traditions foundations regarding health/food and life practices

Eat Fat Lose Fat by Sally Fallon Debunking the myth about saturated fats

Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan A good beginning into connecting to your food sources

Polyface Farms and Joel Salatin My favorite farmer

Real Milk (Raw milk Website)

Radical Homemakers by Shannon Hayes, an excellent book that illustrates the need for the home to be a living organism of productivity and a positive view of learning domestic skills and why it’s important to know how to do things yourself.  A VERY empowering book.

Permaculture Forum regarding ‘beyond Organic Gardening, homesteading and livestock raising

There is liking more regarding this subject in my blog posts!