Our Story

I did want to take a chance, as maybe my last "preliminary" foundational post, to recount how this happened to us. Of course, the short answer is, it was a God thing! We are so amazed and humbled at what the Lord has revealed to us this year.

In a way, this started at the beginning of this year. But when I really think about it, it all started way before that -- from Bro. John's teachings in F.B.I. back when I was in high school (probably in the semester about the O.T. dietary law), and reading None of These Diseases way back then (I think I borrowed it from Bro. John). I remember I did my persuasive speech in Public Speaking in college on fasting. I didn't implement it then, but at least I knew enough to choose that as my topic, and of course I learned more about it researching for my speech. Then two years ago or so we bought David's dad a book for Christmas, What Would Jesus Eat?, and I read most of it. All of this was laying the groundwork for what ultimately became our big change in '06.

Sometime last year, I don't remember now when, I became very concerned about all the sugar Joshua was getting in his Pediasure; he is exclusively tube-fed and at the time was fed exclusively Pediasure. So I began to research the possibility of alternate feeding options, and being the cost accountant was interested in saving money and doing things myself. But I realized if I was going to try to do this on my own, I needed to know a lot more about nutrition. So I began reading about what he should be eating -- which of course directly overlaps with what we should be eating. My eyes were opened more and more. I was still looking for the answer to the "can I do this myself?" question, but I was sure learning about the health and nutrition issues. Then, in about January of this year, curiosity got the best of me and I bought the Kevin Trudeau Natural Cures book. Now really, I don't recommend the book; it's actually a very frustrating read, plus there is some cursing, etc. But there was some information in the book which was very good. That book was the final catalyst for change for us. I remember for sure it was Feb 3 of this year that, from reading what he included on artificial sweeteners, that I decided, no more. If I'm going to have sweet (and I do have a sweet tooth!), I'll take real sugar. At least my body knows what to do with that. Those artificial sweeteners are not good.

All this time I'm reading everything I can get my hands on, especially online (because it's free! There's the budgeter in me again.) I was also able to borrow a copy of The Maker's Diet by Jordan Rubin. By this point, I've read a lot and have formed a lot of my own opinions about nutrition, but his book overlaps so much with what I've read from other sources. And because it's based on the Bible and is morally clean, it makes a great book for us to refer others to. But we didn't follow his 40-day plan; we just made our own changes as we learned about them. That's not to say his plan is bad, just that we didn't follow it. We had already made several changes by the time we read his plan.

David and I start losing weight, much to our surprise. But you guys can see that part. What you can't as readily see, perhaps, are our increased mental alertness; the positive changes in my complexion; my softer skin, particularly on my knees, elbows, and heels; positive changes in our (sorry!) bowel movements (I don't mind going into more detail on that one, but I'll save it for private conversations!), David's recurring heartburn being gone. Plus, now that I have finally figured out the answer to my original question and have started making a lot of Joshua's food (we still rely on the canned stuff sometimes, but I've even found a better option for that, too), we are seeing phenomenal changes in Joshua that so many people have noticed. And I always get comments about how happy Jayden is and what a joy she is to be around. I can't help but think the kids are being positively affected by the diet changes, too.

Well, I believe this post has become long enough. Maybe you're ready for some specifics! Me, too. I wanted to lay a foundation, and I believe we've done that. I'll post again when I can. We had a very busy week last week, but I think as we get into a routine things will not be quite as hectic around here. Please give feedback on the blog as you can! Our goal is for this to be a helpful resource, so we need to hear from you how to best accomplish that!

Sending healthy thoughts and lots of love,
Aleecia