The road to healthful living

So with such excitement, I am propelled to begin to document my recent shift back onto a more conscious road to healthful living.

My journey back to healthful eating began this summer. My 17 year old son was diagnosed with a brain tumour and 11^th of July was the given date for his neurosurgery. I got through June, with all the hospital tests and assessments, through his two-week recovery period in hospital and post surgery by researching what I could do to support his recovery.

I began researching around the subject of nutrition for the brain and discovered a wealth of information. A dear friend of mine recommended Brain Maker by  Dr. David Perlmutter and I have not looked back.

Granted I was never a red meat lover, it meant that I mainly cooked chicken and fish for my family.

However, conscious of my son’s return from hospital to home, I began swapping my pantry staples for healthy alternatives. Wheat Flour was swapped for Spelt flour. I also swapped our regular pasta for the wholewheat version.

Also, I started buying more root vegetables; such as sweet potatoes and yam. In addition, I increased our vegetable and fruit intake by adding a smoothie every morning to our daily routine.

‘Omega 3’ became my mantra, chia seeds were added creatively in every inconceivable way to our dishes unbeknown to my 11 year old daughter, who I had announced adamantly ‘I have a right to choose if I want to become a vegetarian!’.

Pumpkin seeds, linseeds and flaxseeds are now added to our breakfast of natural fat free yogurt with added bio-live cultures like Bifidobacterium BB12 and Lactobacillus acidophilus, essential good bacteria to promote a healthy gut.

I have always used olive oil, but I have added virgin coconut oil and avocado oil to our shopping list too.

I still have a way to go, but so far cooking nutritious meals for my family has seen a positive change in how we share family dinners and and even a longer lasting effect of how my children will feed the next generation.

Most importantly my son has made miraculous gains in his recovery after five weeks.