I'm back...

It's been quite awhile, and a LOT has happened since April and my last post. I guess I could cite a lot of reasons for not posting for so long, but the real reason is that I got tired of everything having to do with being sick. Everything including this blog, unfortunately. I needed some time off. [Not that I can actually have that, given that not writing in a blog doesn't make the sick go away, but whatever, details.]

So, now that I'm back, what's been going on lately, you ask?

A solid question. Let me see if I can answer it for ya:

I've been seeing a new nutritionist regularly. At first once a month, but now twice a month. She's been working with me since March. And she is fixing me (her words during our first meeting). She believes, as I do, that with the right balance of foods and the right diet, I can be healthy again. I won't have to take the pharmacy that the docs put me on. And I can hold at bay the symptoms of all the disorders I was diagnosed with by the docs. This kind of hope is something my docs never gave me. Exhibition A why I like this nutritionist so much.

I've also been getting healthy again. No more pain (well, unless I eat something stupid - but at least then I know what it was that caused the pain). No more crazy symptoms. I have energy again. I have the strength to walk around the city as much as I please. I can go dancing regularly and I don't tire after a few dances. I can enjoy being around people again because I don't have all of these embarassing or uncomfortable symptoms to deal with. I've gained weight back - I'm a proud size 4 and staying steadily there. I got back my girl-curves. I have curves again!

And the kicker: I ate Thai food on Sunday night!!!

Yes, that's right. I can eat things again. Many things that I haven't eaten in a year or more are suddenly available for the choosing in my weekly diet. Oranges, yogurt (hopefully - that one's currently in the works), nuts and nut butters, legumes, broccoli on a limited scale, ginger ale. And over the next two months, I get to add cheese (hard cheese, like white cheddar), tomatoes, and mint. Cross your fingers that all goes well!

I will never be able to eat the way I used to, of course. There will always be some things off-limits to me. Hydrogenated oils have been axed, along with high fructose corn syrup as much as is possible. Sugar content has dropped a lot. Fat content is kept at low levels, with the exception of good-for-you natural fats (omega-3s and omega-6s). Fried food has lost its appeal for me. But, you know, I'm okay with these things. I eat a much more healthy and balanced diet. I am aware of what I'm putting in my body, aware of where my food comes from as much as I can be.

So, overall, things are good now. I take a look back at the past year and a half and I realize that, for all the pain and suffering I went through, for all the mistakes I've uncovered about my food and eating habits, for all the information and misinformation I've picked up along the way, I have emerged on the other side in a really great place. And life will never be the same again.

I cook for myself now - daily, no, but a couple times a week. I'm becoming more and more of a localvore. I enjoy the whole process of food - where it comes from, how I get it, how I prepare it, and how its eaten and digested. It's a beautiful cycle that I've taken for granted all of my life. No longer. I go twice a week to the farmers' market downtown near my office. I have a CSA with one of the farms there - and I've gotten to know the farmers from that stand VERY well. I'm starting my own potted herb garden on my back porch - fresh herbs are fabulous. I would love to someday have my own organic garden. I'm starting to get a feel for planning and strategizing for the winter months - how to use the bounty of fresh produce now, in the summertime, and how to save some for the winter months to come. I don't think I've got enough of a hang of it to feed myself all winter with the stuff I save throughout the summer, but I'll get better with each passing year. Wouldn't it be great not to have to buy any produce from the grocery store over the winter because all of the fresh fabulous produce from the summer that I saved is waiting in cans, jars, and the freezer for me to cook up and eat? That's my dream.

So, that's a rather rambly version of what's been going on in the 3 months of silence on this blog. I have a lot of recipes to add in the coming weeks - things I've saved and taken pictures of with the goal of eventually posting it up here. Be prepared for an onslaught of new posts as I get to those recipes.

One last thing before I sign off of this post:

I've found a new dream for the future of America - my new personal dream for all Americans. I hope that someday everyone sees food and nutrition and health the way I have grown to see it - or at least in a similar vein. It's a black box to our population right now, and I find this extremely sad. It's actually not all that difficult to learn, once you put your mind to it. My dream for America: that everyone of us will put our minds to it and learn. Our entire culture, and all of our future generations, will benefit from it. And we'll all look a little nicer, too.]

Check out the sidebar - I've started up my "food of the week" and "countdown to next food" again. Stay tuned for updates to the No-List - it will look so different the next time I post it!!!