Girl in dalmatian sweatsuit enjoys holding babies, being twenty years older and above all, food.

This blog focuses on real food. When I started writing in September of 2010, I was gluten-free and leaning towards a nourishing diet, as outlined by Sally Fallon in her book Nourishing Traditions. Cutting out processed foods and the introduction of fermented foods (such as homemade sauerkraut and pickles) and staying gluten-free made me feel happier and better than I ever had before. Even with this, I began to realize good was not great! I still had issues with weight gain, acne, back pain, inflammation, candida, PMS and anxiety. I wanted to have even more emotional and physical security.

In August of 2011 I decided to go “primal”. This meant I cut out all grains, white sugar, soy and legumes from my diet. I kept some dairy in my diet (butter, high-quality raw cheeses, homemade raw kefir and yogurt and the occasional bit of cream here and there) and felt nothing but amazing.

Since the middle of September 2011 I have cut way back on my dairy consumption (only grass-fed butter) which means I am “paleo”. My acne is gone, I have loads of steady energy, I feel calm and I do not have anxiety anymore. I’ve always had a good appetite, but it’s even better now and I easily keep off the 65 pounds I’ve lost from my heaviest weight. I can skip a meal and feel fine. In fact, I like to skip the occasional meal. My body is working better than I could have imagined. I want to run around, I want to be goofy, I want to cook and eat, and I want to stop when I’m full. There are no sugar crashes and I sleep well at night. My body likes to wake up in the morning, and I look forward to the day. I attribute this all to cleaning up my diet, as well as beginning to strength-train.

My biggest hope with this blog is to connect with someone who isn’t feeling at his or her best, but who knows the possibility is there. While it can seem restrictive at first, cutting out fake foods and focusing on quality plants, meats and fats is simplicity at its best.

What I’d really like to share is this: it’s all about, and only about being happy. Eating “right” to me means eating in such a way that allows better overall body functionality. It means allowing your exquisitely smart and capable body the chance to take care of itself, which in turn gives you the freedom to more easily be happy and resilient.