Dejunking Our Lives

There's something so special about taking control of your life. You get to be in the driver seat instead of feeling like a passenger just along for the ride. It's funny how food can have that affect on you.

On the VERY DAY that I declared that I was done with doctors, one of my friends left a comment on my Facebook status. She recommended that I check out "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead" on Netflix. My first thought was, "This won't help me--I'm not overweight." But, KJ was asleep for his nap, and I was feeling pretty "sick and nearly dead" so I decided to watch the documentary. (Anything beats cleaning the house! haha!)

The movie was amazing. This guy named Joe was 100 pounds overweight and dealing with an autoimmune disorder that caused him to be on a ton of meds. Doctors were basically treating his symptoms, but weren't fixing the problem. (Hmm...that sounds familiar.) He decided to take charge of his life and go on a juicing diet. For breakfast, lunch, and dinner, Joe would drink juices that he prepared by combining different produce. It was so neat to watch Joe's transformation.

The movie really inspired me. After I finished watching it, I text Andrew, "Do you want to go on a juicing diet?" Let me just say, my husband is truly amazing. He's sacrifices so much, and he's always willing to do whatever he can to help me. After I sent the text to him, I realized that I probably shouldn't do what Joe did. I needed to gain/maintain weight, not lose it. So we decided to go on a "No preservatives for 7 days" diet.

 

Every morning, I have juiced produce for breakfast. It has been really fun to see what combinations taste the best. I add kale to just about every juice combo. Every single day, I have two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch. Winco has this cool machine that grinds up peanuts so that you can make your own peanut butter! (No preservatives there!) And the pb is only $1.98 per pound! One of my friends made and canned some strawberry jam, so I've been trading some of my couponing goods for her jam. YUM! Dinner is usually a salad along with a small portion of meat and some other vegetable.

Nausea and pain haven't disappeared, but I'm happier. I've just accepted that being sick is what I have to face right now. If someone asks me how I'm feeling, I say that "I'm okay" because I truly am. I have met so many amazing people in the grocery stores since I've started this diet. It's been fun to strike up conversations about recipes that they've tried and other stores that they shop at. 

My son is beginning to like fruits and veggies more. If I offer him some of my green juice, he'll usually say "no." But later, he'll actually ask me for some and drink quite a bit of it. I'm so proud of that accomplishment! My boy loves healthy foods now.

I feel better about myself which means that I'm not moody every day. Being sick is not easy. It's sometimes hard to be around people. I'm never sure if people really want to know how I'm feeling or if they're just asking because it's the nice thing to do. Then, there are times when I feel that if I'm honest about my pain, then people will treat me differently. But, the truth is, I am different. I am a unique daughter of God. This trial is mine, and I'm going to do the best that I can with what I've got.