First ... Doing what?

What AM I doing?

What is it that I wish to accomplish?

The first word that comes to mind is "improvement".

What do I wish to improve?

Me! ... my health, that of my loved ones, anyone who is also looking for the same thing, ... the world!

What is it that I'm doing?

Improving my body ... listening to my intuition ... asking the body what it wants ... asking it "yes/no" questions ...

What is it that floats my boat?  
    helping others
    loving animals
    planting/growing things
    getting dirty and having fun
    spending time with horses
    watching babies and young ones
    being creative in the kitchen and 
    baking yummy stuff ...

Why do I do what I do?
Because I want to lead thru example ... If I can do it ... anyone can!

And why do I want to do it?
Because it makes my body feel good and if I can feel good, why can't others also feel great?

♥ Heal the world, spread the love ...

How do I begin to accomplish that?  It all begins with me ... So I embarked on a path of finding what is true for me ...

I love baked goods ... I've always said I'd skip a meal for a good cookie.  And now I am at the door of realization that this love is not in my highest good. 

What does it do?
Well ... it has kept the weight on for one ... created inflammation in my body ... feels like a vicious cycle doesn't it?  ... even after over 8 years of searching how my meals should look ...

... notice I said "should"?

That is key!  Because the knowledge came from outside of me ... what others said would be my highest good ...

Well ... who made them God?  I've spent a lot of time & money trusting and following sources outside of me.  This searching might have served more than just figuring things out for myself ... if it can serve to jumpstart your own journey ... maybe all the time, money, effort I've put into this will assist in your story unfolding. 

I was on a quest, number 1 to regulate my blood pressure and I now realize I was looking for a product to replace the prescription product  that I was letting go.  I continued searching for the next best "thing".

And now I see that I thought with my logical mind to find a "pill" would positively regulate my blood pressure.  And I realize, by listening to my higher self, that it all begins with diet. 

I'm not talking about diet as in an illogical restrictive nutritional food plan.  Diet as in "what foods are the most optimum to make this physical body function with ease, joy & glory". 

I grew up with the derogative, negative implementation of the word diet from a very early age.  Thirty seven years later, I am asking the questions that are unlocking the knowledge within that I have spent countless years ... time & money to find.  What rings true for me, and might for you also, are illogical to my ego trying to fit me into a space that I've outgrown.  So much expansion that I can no longer believe all that shit that is written and talked about in the majority of diet programs, books, etc... the negative vibrating word diet that continues to control the masses with misinformation.  Plus just think of the crazy amounts of money coming from "sugar free", "gluten free", "fat free", etc ... We continue to grow unhealthier as the years go on ... Their income depends on just that!  

Hey! ... don't get me wrong .. if there was a pill that would make me healthy while I could still consume almond croissants, cheesecake, pizza, Chinese, Mexican, Italian, Greek etc  ... YOU BET!  I'd be first in line! 

I have not found that yet ... and so it was back to basics:
    fresh veggies
    fresh fruit
    nuts
    grass fed animal proteins
    organic eggs
    raw dairy
    organic butter
    coconut & olive oils

HOLD THE ...  
    grains
    sauces
    mayo
    sugars
    
Yes, I'm still working on sugars ... weaning myself off tea so I don't need sugar in my tea.  If I have a hankering for something sweet, I resort to a date or two with some almonds ... it works.

I won't lie and tell you I don't often think of shortbread w/ raspberry purree and almond streusel topping --

I DO!

But the interesting part of this experimentation is that my BODY is NOT craving it.  

Did that really come out of my mouth?

Yeahhhh ... I'll tell ya, I'm learning first hand that by not consuming carbs, the vicious cycle of cravings for them has been halted.

And amazingly, I'm feeling full and it's a lasting kinda full feeling ... my body has been fueled!  Instead of the feeling of pouring cement into the works.  

I'm working on creating my "new" favorite recipes.  I've got to have visual appeal
and it has to also be tantalizing to my tastebuds.  (check out my resource page to link up to some serious good recipes)

Funny ... when I began taking supplements, I was always attached to a specific outcome ... 
    "regulating and maintaining a healthy  
    blood pressure" ...
    "melt this weight" ... 

Well ... all these years later, after all these lessons, it sure has changed my attachment to the outcome ... I am Radiant ... just the way I am ... I feel great ... just the way I am ... I AM happy ... just the way I am ... There's a peacefulness ... I'm content ... and the number 1 reason I embarked on this trip all those years ago ... is no longer a priority ... for now when it feels like everything else has fallen into place ... being in the flow ... my blood pressure IS is a healthy number "as health professionals say it is" ... and ... Really!  Do I even believe that myth anymore???   

The side effect is that I've found the perfect diet, for me, and all those other stops along this journey have contributed to my arriving in this place ... and it has been worth it.  There are no coincidences ... only lessons .. 

How does it get even better than this?

... Stay tuned ... 

Love, 
Karin   
    

While on the phone with Doc Nettles this afternoon, he said something that I totally wanted to expand on …

You can take all of the best supplements that are out there to improve your body/life … but there’s more to it than just taking a pill or 3 …

And sometimes I feel so exasperated with all the work I’ve put into effect over the years, trying on different food & exercise programs, continually tweaking to find “just the perfect combination” that will work for me … for we are all different, each and every one of us … and finding that which will work for me, has been … well it’s going on a decade now … and I feel more at peace with myself than I have probably ever been … It’s been worth it … because with each trial and error experiment, I captured a nugget of my truth …

I’ve gotten to know the real me … the infinite being in this human existence … the one who came here, with this body and with this story to heal … the one who “wants to heal the world” … Yes ... as I raise my hand to all of these …

And that is not to say that I’ve lost the weight that feels heavy on my bones and joints … and yet I find when my mind is in perfect synchronicity, filled with joy and amazement, I feel as light as a dancer …

I have worked with acupuncturists, medical intuitives, and many other natural practitioners … all having the limited belief that if you eat a certain way and work out this way, you’ll be fixed … This is just not true … YOU need to find your own truths … keeping in mind that emotion also plays a role in this choreography of life that assists in finding all the pieces that fit for YOU …

I have experimented with giving up all sugars for a 2 year period, eating gluten free for a year, eating what is right for my blood type for 6 months, eating vegetarian with a little raw here and there … taking a little information from each program to round out my already following a sensible plan of “eating close to the earth” … as much fresh and closely resembling how the item came into existence as I can, while still living in a fast paced world where waiting 3 minutes for anything feels incredibly long.  It sometimes makes me feel like a social outcast … an extremist … for I weigh what the items are, making decisions of what to select based on an analytical process of elimination. 

I have found that I love 
    my protein powder, mixed with water or 
    a mixture of unsweetened and 
    unflavored hemp milk and water 

    fresh fruit with cheese (makes a great 
    evening meal) 

    jasmine rice, refried and with 
    over easy organic eggs on top 

    ground beef from naturally raised, 
    grass fed beef, buffalo, and my 
    husband’s homemade bratwurst

    sautéed or grilled veggies, 
    always al dente 

    salads with vinaigrette dressing, 
    preferably with nuts, feta & cranberries

    cooking with organic butter, cold     
    pressed olive and coconut oils

    splashes of organic whole whipping 
    cream in my tea

    organic whole dairy milk & cheeses

    oooo and love raw goat’s milk

    “raw” desserts when feeling like 
    something for my sweet tooth

And …  now I’m also experimenting with no grains … :'(

Yes I’ll be saying bye to Jasmine rice … and sprouted organic corn tortillas … artisan breads and all baked goods … and yes, even quinoa …

It is taking an adjustment period … leaving the wheat/rice/grain carb out of my meal planning and preparation … I am still visualizing whether I will be giving up yellow potatoes or not … shall become clear, I’m sure …

Incorporating more animal protein into my diet than I have eaten in the past years … though still being mindful to select those proteins that are from the closest to natural state as I can find ... for me it's a moral issue, knowing how an animal was cared for while alive and how it was processed, well you know …

Yes it is an adjustment process … being selective as I learn this new way of nourishing this vessel that I call my body … and making sure that all its nutritional needs are still being met, dowsing to ask the questions that my rational mind cannot compute. 

I realized that … had my mind been able to “figure” this all out, it already would have … hmmmm interesting isn’t it?

Learning to trust my higher self, following that guidance system of the soul, I realized that I, too, was looking for the magic supplement that would heal all.  And when I looked around and saw more people like me with “health stories” and feeling heavy in their bodies, I “saw” that grains are not serving in my highest good.  Besides a highly recommended book … I have http://www.elanaspantry.com/paleo-diet-recipes/ for suggestions and recipes … I feel that I’m in good hands …

Til next time ~
Bon Appétit

Love,
Karin