Created To Be Paleo is Born!: Our Story, Part 1

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I have been thinking and praying about starting Created To Be Paleo for quite a while now, and it finally seems like now is the right time. I have really enjoyed sharing our lives over at Honey’s Musings for the past 3 years, and I really want to keep that a place to share about the things in my life that I love the most (namely, my husband Benjamin and children, Jonathan and Aurora) and the things that God is putting on my heart and in my life. I’d like to give myself the freedom to allow Honey’s Musings to be a personal blog, where I really can share my musings, and of course, lots of cute pictures of my kids!I hope you will join me over there to really see what is going on in our lives.

[singlepic id=2 w=320 h=240 float=left]Because of my family’s unique relationship with food as a result of a plethora of food allergies and sensitivities, I have had to become very creative in the kitchen and in how we live our lives in this modern world. And that is where Created To Be Paleo comes in. I intend to share the recipes that I have crafted and borrowed to suit our dietary needs. I will share what it means to be 100% Paleo 100% of the time, because that is the only way for my children to thrive. And I really want this to be a place where families dealing with similar food issues and lifestyle changes can come to feel supported and part of a community. Just to know that you are not alone can make a huge difference. And you don’t have to eat Paleo to enjoy these recipes- they are all amazingly delicious and wholesome.

Why the name Created to be Paleo? As a Christ-follower, I fervently believe that God creates us to be the people we are and will become. Psalm 139:13-14 says “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” I know that God had a hand in creating myself and my children. He knew that we would struggle with food allergy and digestion issues. He knew what a shift in thinking that would be for me to nourish myself and my children, and He made me strong enough and surrounded me with a support system that has allowed me to accomplish it.

[singlepic id=8 w=320 h=240 float=right]My son had hives the day he was born, and both children by 6 weeks of age showed significant signs of food allergies, digestive and malabsorption issues , despite being strictly breastfed and my eating a “healthy” Standard American Diet (SAD), minus my own food allergens at the time (dairy, eggs, soy, some seeds.) When my son was a few months old, we reached a crisis point, and I embarked on a strict Allergy Elimination Diet, where for weeks I only ate chicken, rice, pears, and zucchini. When our allergist suggested I eliminate rice as well, and we finally started to see improvement it was a huge step forward. After that, I was able to determine that Jonathan was allergic and/or intolerant to all grains, seeds and seed oils, legumes (including peanuts), berries, tomatoes, citrus, pineapple and mushrooms.

[singlepic id=6 w=320 h=240 float=left]I continued to breastfeed Jonathan through much of my pregnancy, and because I knew there was a very real possibility that Aurora would have similar food allergies, I maintained my clean diet. Aurora starts the same list as her big brother, with the addition of sweet and white potatoes, winter squashes, green beans and peas, stone fruits, coconut (!), pork, fish, shell fish and a few other things. So it has certainly been a challenge to adapt our diet to meet their needs. And because I am still breastfeeding and have my own food allergies, I have to avoid all of Aurora’s allergens. We had been eating Paleo for several months before we even knew there was such a thing as the Paleo diet, and a huge community of bloggers and authors supporting the movement. My children really were created to be Paleo, because all of their major food allergens line up perfectly with the Paleo Diet.

[singlepic id=5 w=320 h=240 float=right]Sometimes it is really hard to keep going. Sometimes I would give anything to order a pizza or Chinese, or eat a bowl of cereal. But I know that this path is vitally necessary to my kids’ health and my own. Since my son was born 3 1/2 years ago, I have lost over 60 pounds and overcome a number of health problems. After struggling with my weight since adolescence. I am finally in a healthy range, and no longer fear the almost-certainty of Type II Diabetes. (All of the women on my mother’s side have it.)

So I hope you will join me here often as I share the many things I have learned on this journey with you. I am really excited to have a place to share my recipes and the many things we have learned along the way. Check in often (or better yet, subscribe to my RSS!) for an array of mouthwatering recipes. I already have quite a few posts lined up ready to share.

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Comments

  1. Lois Strauss says

    Heather, This is great! Can’t wait to see your recipes! Fun pictures!

  2. I am sooo glad your doing this!!! I am excited!!! Your definitely an encouragement to me as a try to figure what is the best diet for me.

    • Thanks for the encouragement. I am glad you are trying to find healing for yourself. It is hard doing it here- I couldn’t imagine being overseas.

  3. Caitlin Rigsby says

    Winter squashes and pumpkin seem to bother me. I’m currently only eating carrots/zucchini/green beans. I’m looking for a starchy veggie to give me a few healthy carbs for energy but I was diagnosed with Fructose Malabsorption and am unsure if PLANTAINS would be a good option. Do you have an opinion??

  4. I have been enjoying your blog after stumbling upon it looking for some good plantain recipes. Thank you for doing this. Best wishes~

    • I’m so glad you are enjoying it! I love doing it, just wish I had more time for it. Busy mom! Several times this week I was looking for one of my recipes on a blog and realized I hadn’t actually written them yet- just in my head.

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