Brenda 
Everything is normal until one day, it isn’t. You wake up feeling strange, maybe dizzy or nauseous. You might have pain somewhere you never have before. Fear comes over you because who isn’t afraid of sickness and disease? Your mind roams over all the possible causes, and you either push it away because you can’t deal with it or you make an appointment with your doctor. Maybe you come home from the doctor with a diagnosis. Now you have a decision to make. Will you take the medication he prescribed, or will you change your diet?
It’s terrifying to find out that you have a disease, especially one that the doctors say can’t be cured. It might be manageable with medication, but your life will forever be changed. This isn’t something that happens only to older people but to people of all ages. Increasingly, younger and younger people are being diagnosed with diseases like Type-2 Diabetes, thyroid conditions, and heart problems.
Our world has changed, and we can no longer keep the covers over our heads. It’s easy to say, “It won’t happen to me,” until it does, and then it might be too late. It’s much easier to stave off a disease than heal one. I know because, as I talked about in my About page, I was only 19 when I was diagnosed with a hyperthyroid condition. My doctor told me I couldn’t cure it without medication and maybe even surgery. He was wrong, but it would have been much easier for me to heal my body before the imbalance happened. It took a few months, and I’ve had to change my approach to food. But to have a healthy body, it’s worth it!
We are constantly told, “This is bad for you!” and “Make sure to eat this daily!”. But how do you navigate the barrage of information and find the truth? This is what I want to focus on with my site. Yes, you can consult me, and I can help you heal whatever has gone wrong with your system. But I would much rather teach you how to keep your system healthy than make medicine to help you heal what’s gone wrong. Any herbalist would say the same.
So, how do you keep your system healthy? It’s easier and cheaper than you think. First of all, avoid eating anything processed. This also means snacks and bottled foods, unless they only have a few ingredients you can read and know are good for you. Eat whole foods that you prepare into meals. You may say, but I don’t have time to cook. My response to that is you don’t have time to be sick. And that is precisely what you will be if you don’t eat a healthy, balanced diet. It’s only a matter of time. I’m sorry to be so harsh. I’d rather tell you the truth than lie to you.
You don’t have to change everything all at once. You can focus on just one food group or meal at a time, and over time, you’ll feel better and soon realize you’ve made an enormous change without feeling overwhelmed.
Choose simple, high-quality ingredients, and prepare them at home. If you don’t have the time or inclination to have a garden, buy produce from farmers or friends with gardens. The produce at the grocery store, even the organic, is often depleted of nutrients. So, even if you eat a healthy diet, you might still lack vital minerals and vitamins. Herbs can help fill in the gaps. I’ll be writing many articles about herbs that can support a healthy diet, such as nettle.
Nettle is a wonderful plant with many uses. You can dry it and make a tea filled with vitamins and minerals. If you do a decoction (boiling it for up to 15 minutes), you will extract even more minerals from the plants. It’s high in iron, calcium, and magnesium. It also works gently on the lymphatic system, cleansing your body and helping with joint pain. I think of nettle right away when someone is depleted in nutrients.
Cool Fact: A historical way nettle was used is for pain relief from arthritis and other joint conditions. It’s called urtication and isn’t practiced as much as in the past. Fresh nettles are slapped on the painful area, causing stings that bring blood to the surface. It seems counterintuitive to hurt an area already filled with pain. Still, people who’ve experienced it say they can get instant relief from the stings that can even last weeks.
It’s easy to find nettle tea at your local herb shop, but also easy to find it in nature. Nettles love swampy areas and grow worldwide. Check out this site for more information on ethical harvesting.
It’s easy to go to the grocery store, fill up your cart with easy-to-prepare or already-prepared foods, take it home, and consume it. So many of us are exhausted and don’t have the energy to do more than that. What you might not understand, though, is those foods you’re consuming are exhausting you. It’s a perpetuating cycle that leads to bad health. It will take some energy to break the cycle, but the benefits gained are completely worth it, and you’ll never regret it.
I have spent years feeling exhausted, unhealthy, and sick. Those years were in my twenties and thirties. Now, in my fifties, I feel better than I did when I was younger. It’s all about mindful eating. Taking a little time to purchase, grow, harvest, and prepare healthy food means you’ll live a healthier, more enjoyable life, and so will your family.
Don’t wait until you’re sick before you do something about your health. If you would like more help on reframing your approach to food and designing a healthy eating plan, you can book a consultation. As a health coach, I’ve had a lot of experience helping people learn how to purchase and prepare healthy food without taking up too much time. It doesn’t have to be a huge chore, but it should be mindful and loving.
