Pegs’ home-cooking saved my life. That might sound dramatic, but my mom truly saved my life through food…
Hippocrates once said, “let food by thy medicine, and medicine be thy food.” Wise words. And yet, these days, using food as medicine is deemed an alternative healing practice! Wild right? The reality is, not a lot of people with health struggles are willing to try any alternative healing modality right away. Typically, an adjustment in diet is a last resort for many. I am going to dispel that hesitancy. You CAN heal from so many things (autoimmune disease, mold toxicity, heavy metal toxicity, and more) simply by changing what you put in your body. Here’s my story on how I did it – thanks to my mom!
Alternative Healing: My story from the beginning
Growing up I was always the “sick one.” I had chronic ear infections, chronic sinus infections, and a heart murmur until I was around seven years old. My body would get covered in hives and I would have to sit in oatmeal baths to calm the inflammation. I went to countless doctor visits, removing any and all types of food from my diet and potential allergens from our home.
And through it all, there was my mom, the fabulous Peggy Curry. She tried just about anything to cure my ailments. She never gave up on me.
Doctors were always saying they couldn’t figure out what was wrong with me. My tests within the western medical system claimed I was fine, even though clearly, I was not. Western Medicine is amazing! Do not get us wrong, we fully respect and deeply appreciate modern medicine and how it saves lives. However, so many health concerns we deal with today are caused by chronic symptoms that pills and surgery are simply not able to fix – they’re just a band aid on the problem.
Pegs wouldn’t take no for an answer though. She knew in her gut that something really was wrong with me. Her faith and persistence kept us searching for answers. She found naturopathic doctors, Chinese medicine, acupuncture, and more to discover exactly what was going on in my body.
Unfortunately, my health hit rock bottom in 2006. It was the summer before my senior year in high school, and I had been sick at home with 104-degree fever for over a week. I lost 20lbs and half my hair during this time. I was willing to do whatever it took and, of course, my mom was there to help me. She decided that we would BOTH get tested to see if we carried the Celiac gene.
Many would have put their child through that alone, but not Pegs. My test came back negative, although I was confirmed to be highly gluten intolerant. As for Pegs, she discovered that she was, in fact, a carrier of the gene. From that moment on, my life changed for the better.
Alternative Healing: using food to heal
Removing gluten from my diet was the catalyst to my health journey.
My diagnosis was a wake-up call for the whole family. We all cut out gluten right then and there. And Mom set out to make all of the Curry family recipes gluten-free. My symptoms finally began to turn around, and it was all thanks to my mom’s commitment to my health and her delicious home cooking.
One thing to take away from this whole story is to TRUST YOUR GUT.
Our bodies are constantly talking to us. That bloating you might feel after you eat is NOT normal, that is your intestines telling you something is off. By changing how and what we eat, we CAN solve our health issues. By investing in your health NOW you can prevent so many diseases and other issues down the line. If my health struggle sounded all too familiar, here’s what I suggest:
Alternative Healing: where to start
- Get tested to see what is going on inside your body
- These tests include: gut/colon, hormones, cortisol, blood work, and genetics. CLICK HERE to find functional practitioner near you who can do these tests for you. & read our blog Going Gluten Free for the tests we recommend.
- Do an elimination diet
- An elimination diet consists of removing all potential allergens and inflammatory foods.
- You don’t need all the tests, especially if you are eager to start today. If you are interested and what to see what an elimination diet looks like, try our 7-day Reset/Cleanse.
- The real healing comes from doing a full 21-days of elimination. 21-30 days is how long it takes to begin the healing of your gut lining. Once you reset your gut, you can then begin discovering what foods work best for your body and what is causing certain symptoms.
- To see if you have symptoms, read our blog about WTF is Gluten.
Pegs’ upcoming book, Damn Good Gluten Free, is the result of our family’s success using food to heal. This cookbook isn’t just filled with delicious recipes, it is a workbook for you to use in your daily life. It teaches how to use food as a way of alternative healing for you and your family. AND it provides options for everybody who comes to eat at your house—no matter what their dietary needs and preferences are!
I’m so proud of my mom. She took our family’s former health issues and turned them into a force of good. Now anyone struggling like I did, can have the tools to solve the problem.
Sign up to be the first to buy the book! We cannot wait to see how it can help you feel damn good the kitchen.
