An expectant mother’s story of traveling to Malaysia for organic recipes passed through generations, honoring Malaysian heritage, and the art of cooking organic food.

I am expecting my first child and desire only the healthiest food for my family. Join me as I journey to Malaysia to learn the art of organic cooking.

Love, Hannah

Last year I married an amazing Chinese Malaysian artist named Chow Meng Leong originally from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. After our wedding, my new husband hinted to me about his traditional Chinese mothers delicious organic recipes. I pushed his comment to the back of my mind and thought, “Organic? Really? Homegrown? What is the difference?” Soon we were expecting our first child and my entire perspective changed. I wasn’t just eating healthy for myself; I needed to eat healthy for our baby. I began creating new wellness recipes, yet knew I had a lot to learn. What could I do? My only option was to travel to Malaysia and learn from the best!

My mother-in-law, Angeline Chow, was raised in Subang Jaya, Malaysia, a suburb of Kuala Lumpur. Her mother, whom the family calls “Poh Poh,” survived World War II in 1941 when Japan invaded Malaysia.

Mrs. Chow, a petite woman with a jovial smile, has the work ethic and survival instincts of her mother. She grows her own herbs like her mother did, shops at local fish markets for the freshest poultry, and collects homegrown fruit from her sister-in-law’s fertile trees. “Living off the land,” she says.

Authentic Chinese Malaysian dishes with fish, green veggies, and fruit were commonly served in the Chow household during my husband’s childhood. “I think a person is healthier and has a long life,” Mrs. Chow says about eating green and organic foods, “It’s very exciting to grow your own food. You have confidence in what you are eating.” I was eager for her recipes made from organic and homegrown ingredients. Not just for me but for our future healthy children.

We scheduled our trip for an entire month. I assumed by one month’s time I would be fully equipped with a lifetime of new culinary delights, imagining well documented recipes and upcoming cooking lessons. When we arrived I asked my new mother-in-law, “Will you give me the recipes and teach me how to make your traditional Malaysian dishes?”

“I never write anything down,” she says.

“Uh oh. This will be trickier than I thought,” I told my husband.

So every evening for dinner, I examined my plate and attempted to guess the ingredients inside. “Was this marinated with soy sauce and sesame oil?” I ask.

“Some coriander and a little bit of honey,” she responds, “Maybe some fresh lemon and garlic.”

I began to bring my notebook and pen to the kitchen table every evening. I didn’t want to miss a beat. “If you grow on your own, you eat everything,” says Mrs. Chow, “You will not waste food.”

One evening, after many meals served and one aching wrist from hours of recipe writing, I noticed my plate was different from my in-laws plates. “Why is mine different?” I ask.

“I made you something special tonight,” says Mrs. Chow.

Before my eyes was a gorgeous display of salmon seasoned with fresh spring onions accompanied by a multihued orange salad and drizzled with a sweet dressing. “This is Mommy’s specialty,” says my brother-in-law, Ming Sheng. I had to have the recipe!

“May I have the recipe for your salmon?” I asked.

“I didn’t write it down. Let me remember what goes inside,” Mommy Chow said while clearly in thought, “Hmmm. One salmon fillet is marinated with lemon, rosemary, soy sauce, I think. I am not sure. Come back in 30 minutes.”

After 30 minutes of patience, Mrs. Chow’s memory was restored, I wrote down as much as she was able to give me. I am impressed that she cooks all her dishes from memory, no recipes needed. She definitely has control over the kitchen domain too. “It is her kitchen,” says Ming Sheng, “When my brothers and I try to help cook, she tells us no and to do the dishes after.”

Ming Sheng is right. It is “her kitchen.” I am glad I had an opportunity to learn from her and actually participate in some of the cooking process. Now, I can confidently return home with Mommy Chow’s specialty recipes in hand. I am positive my husbands belly will be satisfied with the notebook full of organic Malaysian recipes I lovingly received from his mother. Thank you Mommy Chow!

Would you like to try Mommy Chow’s recipes? We have featured two of her specialties just for you. Gluten Free Malaysian Salmon and Vegan Chinese Orange Salad.

The post Traveling to Malaysia for Organic Recipes appeared first on LoveSelf.

A story of a mother and her pre-school age daughter working through the challenges of Celiac Disease. Learn how intuition and a mother’s love brought healing to a baby girl.

There is something inherently special about a bond between a mother and a child. There is a connection between the two that goes beyond understanding, beyond anything of this Earth—a spiritual connection. Because of this connection, mothers instinctively sense changes in their children that even a doctor can’t detect.

Meet Kelly Johnson, a loving mother to two beautiful children, Elliana 4 and Luca 2. Kelly is living proof that mother always knows best.

Kelly has always felt a special connection with her daughter, Elliana, from the moment she was born. Kelly believes that the two of them were meant to find each other and journey through this life together. “A long time ago, our souls agreed that she would be my daughter and I would be her mother,” she said. Looking at her daughter, she sees the inherent wisdom she held as a child and feels the tug of her heartstrings as her old soul resonates with her daughter’s.

“A long time ago, our souls agreed that she would be my daughter and I would be her mother.”

As a mother-daughter duo, the two share more than just similar sensibilities; their connection to one another was affirmed by genetics after a diagnosis of Celiac Disease; first in Kelly and then in Elliana.

After Kelly gave birth to her second child, Luca, she really started to notice an increase in her  symptoms. She had suffered for years from migraines, from gastrointestinal issues, frequent ear infections, sinus issues, and countless other ailments. Yet this time was worse. Her acid reflux became so bad that she found herself buying antacids in bulk, trying desperately to get rid of it. She also had issues with her bowel movements, leading the doctor to suspect Irritable Bowel Syndrome. All effort to remedy the issues, through medication and cutting out certain foods like meats, offered her no relief.

At a family gathering Kelly’s relatives began questioning the condition of her health. She had given birth recently and her weight loss had been rapid. The change was dramatic enough that her mother approached her, saying the family was worried she had an eating disorder. Kelly was devastated to hear these words come from her mother’s mouth. She knew she’d been eating and hadn’t realized her significant weight loss had become an issue, not realizing at the time that this was a symptom of Celiac Disease.

She consulted her doctor who ran further tests and discovered that her liver enzymes were high. Still, her doctor was short on answers as to what was wrong, leaving Kelly to search out answers on her own. A friend suggested that Kelly try cutting out gluten and willing to try anything to help ease the gastrointestinal issues, she gave it a shot. After just a week, her symptoms subsided.

A friend suggested that Kelly try cutting out gluten and willing to try anything to help ease the gastrointestinal issues, she gave it a shot. After just a week, her symptoms subsided.

This relief turned out to be the missing puzzle piece she’d been looking for. Armed with her new information, she consulted her doctor about Celiac, but wasn’t immediately presented with a diagnosis. The doctors still thought it was an IBS flare and were hesitant to test for Celiac disease. “It’s often the doctors and the people around you telling you it’s all in your head because you look okay,” Kelly said.  She was frustrated that they weren’t listening to her. She knew her body and, trusting herself, she kept pushing, kept researching, and kept seeing out doctors until she was finally tested for Celiac and diagnosed.

“It’s often the doctors and the people around you telling you it’s all in your head because you look okay.” 

Due to her own experience with Celiac Disease, Kelly was able to recognize an echo of her symptoms in her young daughter.  Because Celiac is a genetic condition, Kelly realized she needed to be on the lookout for symptoms in her children. “I honestly wouldn’t have asked to get my daughter tested if I hadn’t felt some of the symptoms myself,” Kelly said.

Like Kelly, her daughter, as a baby, suffered from what they assumed was acid reflux. She was experiencing frequent loose stools and would spend most of the day screaming. As a first-time mom, Kelly had a lot of self-doubt on how she was taking care of her baby, and having her constantly crying made her question her ability to parent. Her husband was a big help, but sleep deprivation and the constant crying pushed her to her limits. Her doctor recommended adding oatmeal to her milk, still unaware that gluten was the problem.

When she noticed that her daughter wasn’t gaining weight, she knew that something was wrong. Once again, doing her own research, she had to be an advocate. This time for her tiny daughter who couldn’t communicate for herself. The doctors, like with Kelly,  were again hesitant to test for Celiac, but her mother’s intuition detected what the doctors couldn’t see. Kelly insisted her daughter get tested for Celiac. When the doctor called with the results of her daughter’s tests, Kelly cried. She cried because she had known, and there was a sense of relief in confirming that her mommy instincts had been right and she was able to help her daughter. “Because of me, we caught it early and she is less likely to develop another auto-immune deficiency.”

Once again, doing her own research, she had to be an advocate. This time for her tiny daughter who couldn’t communicate for herself.

Elliana is now in pre-school and having a child that young with Celiac has been challenging. Kelly is teaching her daughter all about gluten and what foods she can and cannot have. She feels guilty at times because she thinks she’s denying her daughter Elliana a normal childhood. When other families are eating fast food, she has to explain about cross-contamination and why she can’t eat french fries.

Kelly often reminds herself that she’s giving her child the opportunity to nourish her body with healthier options. And Elliana has been a trooper throughout the whole process. She has learned to enjoy the foods that she’s allowed to eat and even reminding adults that she has to eat gluten-free when they offer her something she can’t have. “A classmate brought cupcakes for their birthday, and my daughter told them ‘I can’t have that’ and happily ate her grapes,” Kelly described, beaming with pride at her the wisdom of her four-year-old.

“In being a mom, I found the opportunity to love me and have a voice. Because through my love for me I can love them even more.”

As a parent, trusting yourself and your instincts can be hard. You’re going to make mistakes and challenging things are inevitably going to happen, whether that be discipline issues, arguments, or health scares. “But you can’t know the good without the bad,” Kelly says. You have to trust yourself, as she has learned to do, and love yourself for just being human and keep trying your best, no matter what. That is where the healing starts. Trust your mommy instincts—they’re never wrong.

You have to trust yourself, love yourself for just being human, and keep trying your best, no matter what.

The post A Story of Celiac, a Little Girl, and Her Mother’s Love. Learn the symptoms of Celiac Disease in your child. appeared first on LoveSelf.

Introducing healthy fast food! Gluten free,  paleo, sugar free, non-GMO, and the dietician mom that made it happen. 

For as long as I can remember I have been telling anyone who would listen about my vision for healthy fast food. A place of tasty wellness that rounds out the perfect road trip or a quick and easy option for working families.

Imagine a vibrant colorful storefront beckoning you in the doors. Now envision being greeted by happy people and endless amounts of prepared dishes just waiting for you to take home and gobble up. And the dream doesn’t end there! Suddenly the story gets even better because this beautifully prepared food is not only delicious it is healing. As you enthusiastically explore you find gluten free, paleo, non-GMO, vegan, refined sugar free, dairy free, and so much more. Lasagna! Pancakes! Enchiladas! Oh my goodness!!! Don’t pinch me I may wake up.

Paleo, Gluten Free, Non-GMO, dairy free! Lasagna! Pancakes! Enchiladas! Oh my goodness! Don’t pinch me, I may wake up.

Guess what? Such utopia does exist and not just in our dreams. Welcome to Snap Kitchen and the lovely woman that helps make this dream a reality. Introducing Ms. Andrea Hinsdale, dietician, mom, and the first member of the Snap Kitchen team. 

Snap Kitchen was founded by Martin Berson. Martins’s inspiration came from his desire to help his diabetic wife with wellness food options. His goal of no white sugar or flour, healthy, and convenient options was a revolutionary new concept. .

Andrea is part of the Snap Kitchen dietician and chef led foodie-duo. Partnering with Executive Chef Matt Reinhart, Andrea and Matt together create a menu that will forever change your concept of fast food. Recall that enchilada I spoke to you about? Not only is it gluten free, paleo, and dairy free, it is delicious!! The dynamic duo created a cashew vegan cream that will make your taste buds giggle. Do you love meatballs or salmon? How about pancakes or a fruit tart? Cold pressed juice? A stunning quinoa salad? Snap Kitchen has it all! Every item is meticulously selected for its optimal ingredients and as Andrea says, “we keep working until the dishes are perfect”. And perfect they are. No GMO’s. Organic. Bright seasonal ingredients. YUM!

The dynamic duo created a cashew vegan cream that will make your taste buds giggle.

Because she walks her talk, kale was one of the first things Andrea fed to her two young children. She knew that her food wisdom had been heard when her young daughter came home from school and suggested better options for the school lunch menu. Andrea desires this knowledge for all children. She knows that we must teach our kids about healthy food and make nutrition accessible to everyone.

I asked Andrea what makes her heart sing. She spoke of never feeling like she has worked a day in her life because everyday is a contribution. “Food makes us happy”, she tells me. Yes it does!

Can’t wait a moment longer? We have a Snap Kitchen gluten free veggie lasagna recipe just for you! Enjoy and happy LoveSelf day!

The post Healthy Fast Food and the Mom Who Made it Happen! appeared first on LoveSelf.

The story of a Vietnam era couple whose exposure to Agent Orange changed the way they look at GMO and chemical farming practices today.

In a little desert town known more for its cowboys than its food you will find an unexpected couple. A duo from the Vietnam era with a mission to introduce healthy farming practices and organic principles to the Verde Valley in Arizona. Introducing Merle and Michele Herrick, organic farmers and Non-GMO activists.

Michele and Merle are founders of GMO Free Verde Valley; an organization dedicated to educating people on the dangers of genetically modified food. Both lifelong organic gardeners, Merle grew up eating fresh vegetables grown naturally by his grandmother. He later found himself in the horrors of war and the results that come with it. While in Vietnam he was repeatedly exposed to chemical sprays, including Agent Orange. He returned home with health issues. In his research to heal his body, he discovered the frightening similarities between the toxic chemicals he was exposed to in Vietnam and well known herbicides sprayed in copious amounts on crops and vegetation. He was able to return to health through organic eating and natural detoxification yet the seed was planted for his life’s work.

Many years later Merle met Michele. She describes him as her neighbor that had become her best friend. A fellow organic gardener, and naïve to his romantic interests, she had found a most compatible pal. One day he held her hand and didn’t let go. That was eighteen years ago. She still lights up when referring to her ‘bestie’ and now husband.

Michele, an RN, and Merle, a plumbing contractor by trade, retired and relocated to Arizona yet definitely did not choose the path of R&R. Instead they started Heartstone Farm; selling their produce and worms (yep, worms!) to those interested in vermiculture as a composting method. (Vermiculture is a system of using worms and organic food to enhance the nutrients in soil). Michele describes having gratitude for her family choosing to raise her on all organic real food. She tells me about her Northern California family growing their own food, grinding their own feed and flours, canning, and even drying and smoking to ensure that nothing was wasted. She proudly refers to raising her children the same way.

The couple first became aware of genetic modification long before any of us had heard the term GMO. They can tell you little known facts from decades of research. Ask them! As GMO was becoming more and more prevalent, their concern over the dangers grew. Rather than sit back and hope for a fix, they decided to utilize their knowledge to educate the community. Michele and Merle began by purchasing non-GMO education materials and shopping guides (charging to their credit card to be exact) to hand out at the farmer’s market. Merle received his first donation and was inspired to take the work to greater heights. Today they conduct workshops, show films, and lead speaking engagements all with the goal of healing the earth and helping us live healthier lives.

To learn more about the issues of GMO check out Michele and Merle’s Website. Even better take a trip to Arizona, drive to Camp Verde and ask for Michele and Merle. The neighbors will point you in the direction of their home and together you can take steps to ensure we all eat healthy clean food.

Don’t forget to try Michele’s Gluten free Jalapeño Cornbread and Vegan Black Bean Soup.

The post A Vietnam Vet, Agent Orange, and Non-GMO appeared first on LoveSelf.

Changing Hospital Food to Healing Food!

Learn how a hospital dietician defied convention to create an organic vegetable garden for her patients.

I have a vision. A vision of a healthy world with happy people. A vision of a colorful healed earth full of abundant life. In this beautiful dream, people walk on mama earth’s soil and have so much gratitude for her gifts. I imagine bright orange carrots, plump fruit, and little grinning healthy kids with berry juice running down their face.

Some people tell me this is a fantasy. They talk about all the things wrong with the world. I am not naïve to the world we live in yet I choose to tell the stories of inspiration. The stories of brilliant kind people taking steps to make a difference.

Joetta Redlin, Director of Nutrition Services and her team at  Winneshiek Medical Center in Decorah, Iowa are choosing to make such a difference.

Whoa, whaaaat you are thinking. A hospital?? Am I reading a counterfeit LoveSelf article? Nope this is the real thing and you will be offering hugs to Joetta and the team at Winneshiek Medical Center by the time you wrap up the last words of this story.

What comes to mind when you think of hospital food? If you are like me, it is something like “yuck” and Jell-O. I will confess. Healthy and tasty are not descriptors that occur to me. In other words, will someone run to the organic grocery store and bring this poor patient some good food?!

Guess what? Joetta and her team are working really hard to prove me wrong.  A food is medicine inspiration for all healthcare centers!

What was once a barren courtyard has now become a beautiful edible landscape. Complete with bright flowers and stunning vegetables. In August of 2009, collaboration between the hospital leadership, with support from the Kellogg Foundation, sparked the idea of creating a healthy garden. The garden was designed to feed the patients and their families healthy naturally grown produce.

Joetta spoke to me about “not needing all those pills if we eat healthy food”. The team truly believes that health is not just “absence of illness… it is about well being”.

Imagine swiss chard, fresh herbs, bright green broccoli, gorgeous cabbage, asparagus to launch a beautiful spring, tomatoes, peppers, and kale. I could go on and on yet you get the idea. Hungry yet?

Like all things that are worth having, the garden is hard work. Planting, tending, maintaining, harvesting, cooking, and serving are a labor of love for the Winneshiek staff. Joetta will tell you she is not your average dietician. As a matter of fact, she laughed stating, “I think I may be weird”. At LoveSelf we think weird is awesome. Especially when it means following your own path to empower healing. Joetta spoke to me about “not needing all those pills if we eat healthy food”. The team truly believes that health is not just “absence of illness… it is about well being”. Oh my goodness!!! Are you feeling that hug yet?!

As a matter of fact, she laughed stating, “I think I may be weird”. At LoveSelf we think weird is awesome. Especially when it means following your own path to empower healing.

Remember the vision that launched this story? Well, I have a vision for Winneshiek Medical Center and it is quite a lofty goal. Keep up the great work. Feed all your patients natural healthy yummy vegetables. Heal their bodies and spirit with earth inspired decadence. Continue to be the light for all medical centers.

Joetta and all those who support your great work, thank you for being a shining example of what happens when you take the steps into the colorful healed earth dream.

For a quick and easy dinner try Joetta’s Baked Penne with Roasted Vegetables. Inspired by the Winneshiek garden, of course! We included a dairy free, vegan option too!

The post Changing Hospital Food from Unhealthy to Organic appeared first on LoveSelf.

How to live your dreams well into your 90’s. Lessons from an organic gardener and how to make a grass sandwich.

I have fallen in love with a man named Harry. Harry is 94. Witty, brilliant, kind, and endearingly cranky.

Introducing Harry Hilde! Organic gardener and my new beau.

Harry has created sacred ground in a public ditch just outside his trailer park north of Minneapolis, Minnesota. The soil that nurtures his broccoli, kale, tomatoes, brussel sprouts, beets, beans, swiss chard, and oh so many other mama earth veggies is officially owned by MNDOT. (For you non- Minnesotan’s that means the Minnesota Department of Transportation). Don’t worry. They don’t seem to mind. Last year when the road crew came, knowing a legend when they saw one, they built a fence around Harry’s garden to keep it safe.

My introduction to Harry began with a sassy welcome. “You’re late! Did you bring your hoe”? He stated with a twinkle in his eye. Uh oh. I was in trouble already.

Harry was born in 1922 and tells me with pride that he is full Norwegian, speaks the language, and has been to his heritage homeland seven times. He spent four years in the Armed Guard in the South Pacific, returned to Minnesota and fell in love. Okay, so not exactly. It seems his bride of 66 years knew immediately he was the man for her and despite Harry’s insistence that he “doesn’t date”, he married Orpha and spent the rest of his life taking her on a date every weekend until she passed last year. The Hilde lineage has resulted in 38 grandchildren and great grandchildren. Well…. 38 the family thinks?? They keep losing count.

In addition to his family, Harry has two loves. One is baseball and the other is his organic garden. Harry played for the Saint Paul Saints Seniors and competed in the Senior World Olympics when he was 75! That would seem like a record, except he was still playing baseball at 91. To keep his family healthy, Harry raised his children on a true hobby farm, complete with cows, chickens, raw milk, and all the organic vegetables one can eat. Harry’s daughter speaks of his compassion for the earth and all of us. She told me how he gardens from the heart and prefers to give away his lovingly raised produce. Why? Because according to Harry we all deserve to be “big and healthy”! Yes, we do!

Harry and I talked about what is now called “organic”, was once just called food. I asked him why he doesn’t use pesticides. His snappy and perfect response was to tell me “Eat those chemicals and they will kill ya”!

Yep, true words from the spry wisdom of 94 years.

And what about those grass sandwiches? Let me just tell you this… The description “grass sandwiches” is the understatement of the year. Rather the decadence he is so humbly describing is organic kale or collards straight from his garden wrapped around bacon, tomatoes, cucumbers, and onions. “You can add beets too”, Harry tells me, referring to his daily meal. I wondered if I ought to mention that his grass sandwiches are actually chef driven farm to table culinary genius?! Instead I suggested we start a food truck and travel the world feeding people his earth inspired goodness.

I came into Harry’s world to write about his wonderful garden, and inspiring life. Yet, the truth is, he came into my life as an angel with a gruff facade, reminding me to stay the course and as a reassurance that life is the joy we make it.

Want to talk to Harry? That may be a challenge. He doesn’t like phones. Has never owned a computer or used email. Your best bet to find him is to drive down a big ol’ highway, look towards the ditch, and see a fabulous old gentlemen weeding his beloved garden or resting under his favorite tree. In this new place called heaven.

Harry’s Sweet Potato Collard Wraps Recipe

The post 94 Year Old Man and a Grass Sandwich appeared first on LoveSelf.

The man that feeds the hungry and teaches us about forgiveness.

Imagine an artist whose talent with oil painting is delicate and purposeful. Now imagine this same person telling stories of a hurt childhood, of paying it forward, loving, and of beautiful people. Did you picture a former heavy weight boxer, appearing to having just stepped off a Harley? No? Me either. We are often told not to judge a book by its cover and in this case, once you open into the details, the book becomes perfect in its nuances and your lifetime favorite. Introducing Rob Murray with Harvest of Hope Pantry in Boulder, Colorado.

Harvest of Hope Pantry provides nutrient rich food to those countless people facing food insecurity.  The pantry is a place of kindness, compassion, and hope. Before I tell you about Rob I want to talk about the true faces of the hungry. These are people of brilliance and potential. While visiting the Harvest of Hope I learned of a former aerospace engineer (yes, rocket scientist) that through a series of events found himself homeless and hungry. Or think of the family working everyday, earning minimum wage, with barely enough to scrape by. These are the faces of all of us. We aren’t separate.

As a baby, Rob was raised by nuns and later adopted by a loving mother. Rob emphasizes the path of his mother running parallel to his own. His kind eyes light up when he tells me that she too was an orphan raised by nuns. They then fill with tears when he refers to the loneliness he feels having lost her to brain cancer in 2003. Rob’s life hasn’t been easy. Yet, like many of us, it is his pain that opened his heart and found the power of gentle compassion. “Life has a way of putting you in the place you belong”,  he told me. His belonging has been quite the journey. As a child he was a strong kid that stood up for those being bullied. As a college student, he joined a fraternity and counseled his fellow students to drink less and take care of themselves. In his 20’s Rob took a chance, packed a backpack, jumped on a train and moved to Boulder. Because assistance is all around if we are open and paying attention, Rob met a man on the train that offered his support and knowledge. The first day they explored together. The next day Rob had a job in his new Colorado home.

Rob believes that if we do good deeds they come back to us. To illustrate his point Rob tells me about giving his bus pass to a homeless person, leaving Rob in a situation to walk the 7 miles to work. Within minutes a cab pulled up, seemingly out of no where, and offered him a free ride!

While in college Rob had to use a food pantry for his meals. While there he vowed he would give back someday. He became a counselor and later was hired by the Harvest of Hope. He describes the importance of fruits and vegetables and healthy options, “The healthier we eat, the less we have to go to the doctor. Let’s offer proactive options for people to stay healthy”.  A man of many talents, he is currently working on a book advising people how to live off the grid on less than $12,000.00 a year.

I feel the energy of Rob’s huge heart when he tells me about the little six-year-old girl that wanted food; not presents for her birthday. She brought her gifts to the pantry, with a smile of innocence and the childlike knowing of paying it forward. “It is so beautiful to see”, he said. I asked Rob to give us his thoughts on living a life of joy. His advice is simple and beautiful.

1) Forgive. Forgiveness isn’t about forgetting or excusing the other person. It is for you and the peace your life so richly deserves.

2) Reframe your past. For every hurt you remember, choose to remember something beautiful.

“If you help two people in a lifetime than you have a purpose”, Rob told me. “Always look for kindness in the world and then you will find kindness in yourself.” Amen, I say.

Dear LoveSelfers- What kind act can you do today? What beauty do you remember? Tell us. We love to tell the happy stories.

The post The True Faces of the Hungry. They Look Like You. appeared first on LoveSelf.

How pain and health crisis can become a catalyst for self-love and embracing your greatest passion.

At LoveSelf, we write about people healing with the power of real food and self-love. I am often asked why I started LoveSelf. Below is part of my journey. As the universe intends, I will continue to share. I hope you find LoveSelf’s articles full of inspiring love. 

Share YOUR story with us!

XO, Rachel 

Dearest LoveSelf’ers,

LoveSelf was born out of my very personal story of overcoming health challenges. My physical pain brought me face to face with what I call a “crisis of the heart”. As you will often hear me say it is our darkest hour that often brings forth our greatest joy.

LoveSelf is that joy. Over the years, I have been diagnosed with Lymes, Celiac disease, dealt with extreme autoimmune disease symptoms, inflammatory bowel, multiple surgeries, and damage to the nerves around my spine. There were many days that it took everything I had just to get out of bed.

One particularly eventful afternoon a leading MD reviewed my symptoms and the only thing he knew to say was “I am sorry. This is a disaster.” He gave me a referral to another specialist who could only offer options that felt more like death than life.

I recall those moments as the beginning of everything changing for me. I remember vividly, leaving the appointment alone, getting in my car, and beginning to cry. Not small tears. Weeping, bawling emotions from my core. My reaction was especially surprising because up to that point, I had lived from a place of positive bravado and thought wellness meant toughing it out. My tears subsided and an inner peaceful knowing spoke clearly.

The voice said, “I am doing it my way”. In the moment, I had no idea what “my way” meant, only that I was going to stop listening to the words of fear.

In the following months and years, I learned that our bodies have the ability to heal themselves, emotion and physical dis-ease are intertwined, food is medicine, and that self-love must always be our first love. 

After years of antibiotics, the core of my physical well-being needed attention. I was already gluten free due to the Celiac. As a huge food lover, I didn’t want to live from a place of sacrifice. Ultimately, I discovered the Paleo diet. In combination with a raw food diet and lactofermented foods, I began to feel so much better. I learned to create amazing refined sugar free, gluten free, grain free desserts, and still smile when I recall the countless requests I received for my yummy creations.

My health challenges became life awakening and life changing. I knew real food was the core yet I also understood that I couldn’t stop there. My quest became about empowerment and healing. I took steps to authentic self-love.

I understood that all life is interconnected energy, that living from a loving heart is the highest truth, and that the food we eat can inspire and heal us.

LoveSelf began with my own healing and became the catalyst to share the inspiration with others. On this journey of love and health, I have learned to listen to my inner wisdom. I followed my heart when it told me to leave all that I know and begin traveling to share the inspiring stories of others. I (quite literally!) put everything I owned into storage, packed two suitcases, and left on a journey to write about the light I see in others. LoveSelf was born! I had no backup plan. My only foundation was air and faith. People would often ask me why? I would say, “my heart is pulling and all I can do is follow”.

Today LoveSelf is a global community.

My dream is that we all live an inspired life with a happy belly and a loving heart. Our choices can heal us. Abundance is infinite and healthy is our right.

I am so incredibly honored to be part of your journey.

XO!
Rachel

The post How Pain Becomes a Catalyst for Self-Love and Embracing Your Greatest Passion appeared first on LoveSelf.

The connection between celiac disease and depression. Beth’s story of depression, celiac disease, and finding hope in the midst of despair.

Treating my autoimmune disorder and Celiac disease at its roots has given me the space to create deep energetic healing in my life that I never thought was possible. It has brought me to a level of wellness I wasn’t always sure could be mine.

My name is Beth and I hope you find my story inspires you to greater healing.

I was diagnosed with Celiac disease when I was 16. Every time I ate my stomach would get upset. After the diagnosis, I was given pills and told to stop eating gluten. Naturally, I continued to eat gluten because who would be WILLING to give up waffles? I lived in an average town in Texas where nutrition wasn’t valued so had little motivation to believe that what I ate could have any sort of impact on my life. I justified that I could handle an upset stomach. Not knowing the ramifications of what was actually happening to my health.

There was a lot more than an upset stomach going on in my life. When I was a child I often felt sick and struggled with depression and anxiety. By the age of 8, I was experiencing full-blown panic and anxiety attacks. When I was in junior high and high school I was taking anti-depressants, self-mutilating and toying with the idea of ending my own life. I was hospitalized at 15 for severe depression and suicidal thoughts.

When I was 21, I was sexually assaulted and was hospitalized once again for more of the same. The continued trauma, self-hatred, and hospitalization, kept my mind and body feeling broken. Despite being in therapy all my life, I was constantly struggling with self-love and self-worth. I kept trying to have a self-care practice. I always desired to be off medication and to treat my depression, trauma, and anxiety naturally with exercise and diet but it felt too big. Being in my body felt awful. I used substances like alcohol and nicotine to assuage the pain. My life often felt unmanageable.

Throughout all of this, I desired to fight for my well-being but I didn’t always know where to start. The cloud that covered my life kept me rooted to the spot. But I knew without a shadow of a doubt that I wanted to live and live well. What then was my next step toward happiness?

By the time I was 22, I moved to Colorado and that was where I started to get an education about different ways to take care of your body and soul. At the time a nutritionist explained to me the effects that gluten can have on your body and also on your mind.

After years of Celiac denial, I finally decided to give up gluten and see what would happen.

I felt better than I ever had in my life. I experienced a layer of clarity and happiness I never thought was possible for me. I could move and be present in my body in a way I had never imagined before. Deeper energetic healing was starting to occur.

When I was 25, I got Mono and I desperately needed an additional layer of healing. While giving up gluten felt amazing, I knew more could be done because I was still always getting sick. I started to consider hidden sources of gluten and cross-contamination. I decided to give up dairy and coffee since they were potential “cross-reactors” to gluten. I experienced an additional layer of healing in my body and mind but still knew more could be done. I now had proof that nutrition directly affected how I felt.

By 27, I was researching the relationship between mental health and Celiac and decided to follow a Paleo anti-inflammatory auto-immune diet and get off of medication for depression and anxiety.

Because your immune system and mental health are directly linked to your gut, I learned that Celiac is often considered a neurological disorder instead of solely a gastrointestinal disorder.

I started to dabble by taking out a few ingredients here and there such as grains, nightshades, legumes, corn and soy. I discovered that the medicine I was taking had ingredients like lactose, potato starch and corn in it. I was at a crossroads, I had to give up Western meds to be fully compliant with my Paleo healing program. By April of that year, I was off of medication. I am still medication free to this day.

My mental health is better than it has ever been. I have so much clarity and the ability to really explore self-love in a way that didn’t seem possible before. 

It doesn’t mean everything is always rose petals. I can still struggle with mental health, have days when I don’t want to move my body and get pretty foggy. The difference is I now know I can have that peace and that there is nothing wrong with my spirit.

I now have the fuel to seek and experience what I want and deserve in this life. 

“I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship,” Louisa May Alcott

The post Celiac Disease and Depression. A Journey to Find Healing and Self Love appeared first on LoveSelf.

An unbelievable story of two families, an adoption of a teenage boy, and the healing spirit of food.

As I began to write this story, I wondered how to describe a journey that is incredible and almost unbelievable in its winding road.

The genesis of the article was a relatively standard nomination. An organic focused Eastern Indian chef was being introduced as a potential candidate for a LoveSelf feature. As I sat down to speak with him, his story quickly became anything but typical.

Introducing Suresh Miller and the inspiring story that brought him to his role as Executive Chef at Maharishi University. Suresh was born in New Delhi, India to a happy family with four brothers and three sisters. One day, at the age of fourteen, a lady knocked on his parent’s door and asked to adopt Suresh. Really! I told you this was going to be unbelievable. Ready? Here we go…

During Suresh’s childhood, his father worked for an American woman. This woman had a friend coming to India from the United States to adopt a young Indian boy. Suresh describes, “one day this lady came over to ask if she could adopt me”! Of course I asked him if his parents had suggested such a plan? His response was “Nope. They hadn’t even considered it.” As you can imagine when Suresh’s loving parents were first presented with such a proposal, their response was an adamant no. This kind lady continued to stop by and speak to the family. Eventually Suresh’s parents agreed to the adoption and through a series of long steps, Suresh became the adopted son of Ted and Linda Miller. How did they eventually come to such a life altering decision? Love. Suresh tells me his biological family wanted a better life for him. Whether you agree or disagree with the decision, know that it came from a place of selfless adoration from two families. Both wanting an amazing life for a teenage boy. And an amazing life he has had.

Suresh describes his journey to the United States as karma, “I was meant to be here… everything just fell into place.” He fondly remembers cooking with his Indian father. Together they would slow cook a whole chicken for hours. He would watch his dad add onions, garlic, chilies, ginger, cumin, and coriander. They would eat this healing dish as a family and the spark of his future career was born.

After arriving in the United States during a chilly Maryland winter, his first impression of the US was “very very cold”. Then he recalls his horror over breakfast cereal and milk. At one point he started adding pickles to his cereal just to get a reminder of the spice from his home. His dad Tim, a physician, and his mom Linda, a homemaker, very much desired an unbroken connection to his Indian heritage and biological family. They encouraged his meal choices, supported his return trips to India, and continued loving communication with his Indian family.

Suresh moved throughout the United States eventually arriving in Fairfield, Iowa. His parents are long time member of the Transcendental Meditation movement and felt a special kinship to Fairfield. Suresh immediately loved it. “This is where I want to be”, he states emphatically.

His new life in Fairfield, also rekindled his love of food. He was offered an entry level-cooking role at Maharishi University (MUM) and lights up when he tells me about his passion. For the first time he had his own money and even room and board! He began teaching himself to cook and became more and more interested in food as medicine. He later took a role as the first male staff member in an all female meditation group. Suresh led the development of a commercial kitchen and served only organic food to the ladies. Empowered by his success, he returned to school and completed a degree in culinary arts. Suresh’s smile is huge when he tells me he graduated in 2011, “It is a big deal for me”.

In 2013 Suresh’s success was awarded with the offer of the Executive Chef post at MUM. He cooks only vegetarian and changed the entire menu from one he describes as “cheese sandwiches” to internationally focused healthy delicious options. Local and seasonal vegetables are always the star.

Suresh is now living the dream. He is married with two children and serving a global student population. Thanks to selfless parents and a lovely mom named Linda, Suresh will forever know that life is indeed a journey of heart.

I asked Suresh about his vision for the future. He desires that we all have direct access to our food. As I say over and over, food directly from the farm tastes different. What is his advice to all of us? “Stop messing with nature”, he exclaims. Seek out your local organic farmer. “They provide us fuel and energy”. Suresh teaches the love of real food to his children. Let’s teach it to all our kids!

Blessings to our soil, a farmer, and the love of a chef.

Suresh created his Butter Chicken recipe just for LoveSelf. Check it out.

The post Adoption And The Spirit of Food appeared first on LoveSelf.