How We Got Here

This is my family. I am a stay at home mom with one son and two daughters (they are ten, six and one year old). My husband works from home, doing all manner of computer generated magic. We love food. We use food for everything--celebrations, consolations, victories, defeats, relaxation, stimulation...that is, until recently.

This is my daughter. Last November, she got really, really sick. She was constantly fatigued, had headaches and digestive issues, and horrible eczema. The eczema was the worst. It covered her arms and legs and chunks of her torso. It also snaked around her right eyelid, causing her eye to swell shut from time to time. She would scratch at it so fiercely in her sleep that her sheets would be crusted with blood in the morning. We took her to see a few different doctors and each sent us away with the same instructions: "Take [insert allergy medication of the dr's choice] once a day (usually Clariten or Zyrtec), and apply [insert steroid cream of choice] as needed. Otherwise, just be patient and hope she grows out of it. There's really nothing we can do for her." Well, the allergy meds did nothing but exaggerate her fatigue, and while the steroid creams would calm a flare up, they also thinned her skin, leaving it papery thin and brittle. We were frustrated. We didn't want to treat her symptoms. We wanted to make her better. But how?

Enter Dr. Beth Falanga. Out of shear desperation, we turned to alternative medicine. Dr. Beth was amazing. She sat with Natty (our daughter) for a whole hour, talking about her symptoms, habits, dreams, fears and favorite cartoons. After which she spit out a sentence that would forever change this foodie's life: "We need to do some blood work, but I think she has food sensitivities."

Ack! What?!? Food is making her sick? My mind was reeling. As much as we loved food, we also loved being healthy. We ate lots of whole grains, dairy, a decent amount of produce. It's not like she was living off a steady diet of twinkies and ho-hos. Alas, the blood tests came back and confirmed Dr. Beth's hunch. Natty had food sensitivities, emphasis on the "-ies." In order to clear up all her symptoms, we needed to cut out dairy, eggs, wheat, corn, soy, rice, sugar, barley, citrus, coconut and peanuts. Her diet, in essence, needed to be nearly-everything-free.

And that's how we got here. We tried reading labels, but there is just so much hidden in even the most banal, harmless food. What exactly is "natural flavoring" or "caramel coloring?" Is it wheat, corn, soy, rice or peanut based? And, just for the record, corn is in everything. Whether it's listed as corn, dextrose, baking powder or vinegar---it's still corn. So, for the sake of our sanity and health, we have decided to go completely, 100% unprocessed. In the words of Jack Lalanne, "if man made it, don't eat it." No bags, jars or cans for us. What does that mean exactly? Well, I don't know yet. But, you're welcomed to come with me on my 30 day journey into the world of completely homemade meals. Who knows, maybe we will find something yummy!!