Institute for Integrative Nutrition and Me

I started getting antsy.

I wanted to do something.

I wanted to learn something.  

I talked to Marcus and hashed out some ideas.  I looked at the local community college at different programs.  I didn't want to just take a class here and there.  I wanted to complete a program where I would then be "certified," able to actually do something in that field...whether I actually would do something in that field or not was/is unknown, but I wasn't interested in merely gaining more knowledge if I couldn't use it for financial-gain if necessary.  I was a teacher and absolutely loved that.  But because of circumstance, teaching is no longer something I'm interested in.  Tutoring was great for a time.  But I was feeling like there was something more for me.  

I already have a pretty full life.  I am a wife and take care of our home.  I am the mother to 3 children.  We want to have more children.  I work with a team to put on a fundraiser each year.  I'm a member of a very active/busy church.  I volunteer in Callie's classroom.  Plus, I want to keep reading and playing with my kids and doing things that help me unwind.  However, I felt drawn to learn more and use my brain and mind in a way that I really have missed.  I wanted to go back to school.

If I was going to do this successfully, I had to create some rules.  I set up some pretty strict perimeters.  

1. Sundays are Free.  Everyone has different opinions on Sundays and how they should be used.  But for me, I have found that when I have that specific day for the Lord, family and friends, I have a much better, clearer week.  I feel recharged.  If a program I contemplated required me to do anything on Sunday, it was immediately eliminated from my list of options.  Sundays are a sacred day for me.  Sunday is the day I attend church with my family, have a slow afternoon, and spend the evening having dinner and socializing with extended family.  I want this day for myself.  But I also really want my children to grow up feeling that Sunday is a sacred day for them as well.  How could I effectively teach my children that Sunday is a day worth putting aside for the Lord, myself, and others (family, service, etc) if I knowingly scheduled class/work/workshops/trainings for Sunday?  I realize not everyone feels this way about Sundays, and that's ok.  This is my own personal decision.  And, I also realize that there are exceptions and jobs where Sundays cannot always be avoided.  My own husband has to work on-call for the hospital and it overlaps to Sundays often.  I get it.  But since this was a choice, I had the luxury of making this a strict rule.  Keeping the Sabbath day a day for just those things is something that has helped strengthen my faith and if I was going to begin something kind of scary and new, I didn't want to take that spiritual factor out.  It has worked for me, so I didn't want to change it up.  Sundays are free.

2. Family-Stress Free.  There's no way to start something like this and not have it add some level of stress.  But stress isn't always a bad thing.  When it's too much, it's time to re-evaluate.  But I wanted this really badly, so I had to make sure it didn't add bad stress to my life...thus adding stress to our family.  This had to be something that I could manage.  I had to be able to have the time to do the assignments, the reading, the studying, whatever work it required of me; I had to be able to do it without putting my family out.  Essentially, it shouldn't affect them in a negative way.  No need to juggle with babysitters, crazy schedules, Marcus needing to take over what I normally do, etc.  Family-Stress Free.  

3.  Budget Friendly.  We are saving money for an adoption.  There's a reason why you see fundraisers out there for adoptions.  They are horribly expensive...I would say, sometimes, unethically expensive!  I didn't want to be a financial burden on our family when we have some major financial goals we're working on.  

4.  Good Vibes.  I needed to feel really good about it...excited, passionate, eager to learn.  There's no way I was about to enter some kind of program if I didn't get the vibe that this was what was right for me. 

So far, I was finding a ton of options, but they didn't meet ALL my qualifications.  And that was a requirement.  I wasn't going to bend. 

~*~*~*~*~*~

In June 2014, I talked to a friend.  And then I talked to her friend.  In this conversation, it came up that Katie's friend, Lauren, was a Holistic Health Coach.  It was a side comment really.  But it greatly piqued my interest.  At the end of the conversation, I asked her if we could revisit the topic of Holistic Health Coach.  She told me that she had enrolled and graduated from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition a few years ago and completely loved it.  She shared some things that she learned and told me how it has changed her life.

I was interested.

I did my research.

AND it fit ALL my requirements.

And the good vibes...they were goooood!

I talked to my mom (for hours).  I talked to my sister (for hours).  I talked to Marcus (for hours).  I prayed and thought about it.  I weighed the pros and cons.  

And in July 2014, I enrolled.  

I've been working on my IIN education for 7 weeks now and am completely loving it.  I'm learning a ton and feeling energized and by December, I'll be able to start working with people.

So, what is a Holistic Health Coach?

This is what is exciting to me.  Because, yes, I am learning about foods and how nutrition plays a big role in our health.  But, "holistic" means so much more.  What IIN teaches is that HEALTH is so much more than food.  Yes, food is imperative.  But what we actually put into our mouths and into our bellies is Secondary Food.  So many people are unhealthy even though their cholesterol is good and blood pressure is normal.  You may be lean but if you struggle with your one or more of your Primary Foods (relationships, physical activity, spirituality, career [even if that's a stay-at-home mama])...your life is out of balance and you know what?  That's not healthy.  Holistic Health Coach.  This concept speaks to me.  Work on ALL aspects of health to achieve your goals.  I whole-heartedly believe that when we are out of balance, when we struggle finding happiness in an area of our life, then we have a harder time in other areas.  It's all connected.  

I'm excited to share my personal experiences with others and just perhaps I'll be able to help them.  But until then, we are becoming healthier and my kids are living in an overall healthier home.  

I'm no longer feeling antsy.

I'm doing something.

And I'm learning sooo much!  

And it makes me happy.

Yonanas is Yo-mazing!

Lindsey got us this for Christmas

To say  this is a neat little machine is an understatement.  We just took our frozen fruit from the freezer and pushed it through this machine.  Stir it up.  And it was so yummy.  100% fresh fruit.  We are all happy over here.

Not pictured:  Mommy, Daddy, and Sammy's delightful fruit-filled faces.

Pink Eye v. Melaleuca

Growing up, my friends always had pink eye.  I never did.  But my memories consisted of seeing gross red eyes and being told that they couldn't play because it was highly contagious.

Jump ahead 10-15 years.  I'm in Hungary as a missionary.  I wake up one morning and my eye is sealed shut with disgusting gunk.  Doctors thought I might have cancer and wanted to run a million tests.  What?!  It's only pink eye!  But, I don't know how to say "conjunctivitis" and so I use my best Hungarian and say, quite literally, "rosza szem" -- Pink Eye.  They have no idea what I'm talking about.  After blood tests, an investigator of ours who also happened to be a pharmacist, tells me what to buy and where to get it.  Nice.  After a week, it's gone.

Since then, I seem to get pink eye all the time.  And I hate it.  I hate wearing glasses and it's all together inconvenient.  

On Saturday I woke up with a little gunk in my right eye.  I didn't think much of it.  As the day progressed, I noticed my right eye was looking gradually more and more pink and was starting to get scratchy.  I knew exactly where this was headed.  It was quickly getting worse.  By the end of the day, I was looking bad.  I had taken out my contacts and was rockin' for the 4 eyes, but still, I really did NOT want pink eye while I'm doing intensive therapy with Samantha. 

This isn't my eye, just a googled picture, but mine looked similar to this (maybe a little pinker) with gunk in the corner...constantly having to clean it out. 

doTERRA.  hm  The thought crossed my mind.  I looked up what the suggested protocol would be.  I had brought some of my oils with me and thought I'd give it a try.

For the rest of the night, I'd use lavender and melaleuca and put it around my eye socket.  Melaleuca has natural disinfectant and anti-viral properties while lavender has natural antibiotic, antiseptic qualities.  Melaleuca is stronger, so I just used that around my eye socket...under my eye, just below the eyebrow, etc.  The lavender, however, is more gentle, and so in addition to putting it around my eye socket, but put it on my eye lid and through my eye lashes.  I applied this over and over again: before and after dinner, throughout watching the Olympics, etc.

No joke.  Next morning.  So. Much. Better.  It still looked like my eye was pink, but it was a "you-had-a-long-night-huh?" kind of pink...in only the right eye.  By the end of the church, it was back to normal.  

I talked to Marcus on the phone and he doesn't believe me.  He doesn't believe that an oil can be stronger and better than eye drops you get from a doctor.  And as much as I want him to believe me, he doesn't believe it.  But let me just tell you something....it worked.  And now, the next time I get pink eye (because I will again...), I know exactly what I'm going to do.

doWHAT? doTERRA

Where to begin so I don't make this unnecessarily long? hmmm

Essential Oils. doTERRA. Heard about it? One night, while here in Utah, I got together with 3 other of my special needs mom friends. Dinner. Yum. Fun. Laughing. Then, down to business. As much as I try to avoid these topics (because I don't want our friendship to revolve around the fact that we have special needs kids), I can't help myself. I've decided that's ok, by the way. So, we start talking and sharing what's working, what's not working, who is the best at this and that, who we should go and see, etc.

Among the many things we talked about, essential oils came up. I had already decided that I was going to try them out on Samantha when I was here for Caleb's funeral. I talked to Chrystal (I'd link you to her blog, but it's been a solid YEAR since she last posted...Chrystal!) and I was pretty much feeling good about trying it out. I liked the idea that it was natural, no real side effects. If it didn't work, it didn't work. But if it could help her sleep without meds, fantastic! Even better, if she could remain seizure-free without meds...So, why not?

So, at dinner, we talked oils. Great. Nothing new to me.

A few days later, I head on over to doTERRA, which is located in Orem. There, I signed up to be a consultant/seller/whatever-it-is-that-gives-me-a-discount. The guy said a lot of people do that, so I didn't feel so lame. I have no interest in starting a business. Making $, sure, but making sure I'm selling products...too stressful. Just give me my discount and I'll be on my way. I bought the Family Physician Kit as well that comes with Frankincense, Peppermint, Oregano, Lemon, and some other stuff.

It sits on the table for a couple days.

Friday. I wake up with a bad headache. We go to therapy. It hurts. I'm starting to be sensitive to the lights. I go to the "family" room and try to sleep. I wake up feeling worse. I'm starting to feel nauseous and I'm worried, wondering how I'll drive myself home. I'm getting worse and worse. I'm shaking and can hardly see. Migraine.

I DO make it home and go straight to bed...after taking 2 Excedrin. Are you still with me? I sleep for awhile, wake up, take 2 more Excedrin. I wake up. Bryan's over playing with the wee girlos, and I want to get up and see him before he takes off. We go for a walk to get them out of the house for a little bit and give my mom a break...and I'm feeling extremely weak and trying to fake it the best I can.

I kept feeling horrible and we had dinner plans. What to do?

I didn't want to take any more Excedrin, so I figured, maybe let's try these oils, and maybe it'll take off some of the edge if I'm lucky.

I called Chrystal for some help because I couldn't even focus my eyes enough to read the book on what to take for what, etc. Headache. Peppermint. I put a drop in my hand, and used that to apply it to my temples, forehead, and back of neck. I am NOT exaggerating when I say that almost instantaneously, when I smelled the peppermint on my hand, my headache was gone. I was in complete shock. This FAR surpassed my expectation. My stomach was a little upset still, so I thought, I'll try this other oil blend they have for upset stomachs. "As much as the peppermint helped, and I'm a believer in that now, this won't be like that. After all, I apply it to my stomach and I can't even smell it." I figured if I can't smell it, it won't work. Wrong. After only a few minutes of getting ready to go, my upset stomach was gone. GONE.

I've never, EVER used anything that worked so quickly.

I went out the next day and bought a diffuser that I will have in Samantha and Callie's room. I am a believer, and still in shock that it worked so quickly. My mom has noticed that the oils have helped her too and she's going to buy herself a Family Physicians Kit before she heads back home too. Amazing! And now, I can't stop reading the book about all the different ailments and what oils treat what symptoms and what illnesses...I'm obsessed!

And you should be too! Join me in the madness people. It's soooo cool!

The Happy Herbivore by Lindsay S. Nixon

The Happy Herbivore Cookbook: Over 175 Delicious Fat-Free and Low-Fat Vegan Recipes by Lindsay S. Nixon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Who "reads" cookbooks?  I had never.  I usually look through them, but not read them like a real book.  But when The Happy Herbivore came in the mail, I read it.  I started by just reading the beginning, and then my curiousity got me going and I kept reading.  And kept reading.  And kept reading.  Until it was done.

I wanted to have a cookbook that gave me good options for healthy recipes.  So far, there are some I like, some I love, and there was one that was...not good...but Callie and Samantha still ate it with pleasure.  I like the cookbook. It is giving me easy options for healthier alternatives to what we are currently eating.  And my family is liking it too.  So, yippee for that.


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The China Study by T. Colin Campbell

The China Study: The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted and the Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss and Long-term Health by T. Colin Campbell


My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This book was completely eye opening and as I read, I was convinced I needed to make certain changes in my dietary lifestyle -- so change I did. I began reading this book last year, but then left the book in Michigan. I picked it up again this year when my husband bought it for me. This book is thick with research and statistics that, for me, were shocking, and again, life changing. After 25 years of government supported research, Campbell has concluded that living a vegan lifestyle is the only way to prevent (and reverse) cancers, heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, and macular degeneration -- among other diseases of affluence. He doesn't deny that some of us are genetically predisposed to certain diseases, but what he does conclude, after these 25 years of first animal testing -- and then taking the research to people -- is that we have control over our genes. If we choose to eat properly (and again, he says properly is plant-based), then we don't have to trigger those cancerous genes to get going.




As shocking as all the research said, it wasn't a surprise to me. Over the past decade, I've seen and read more and more about this stuff...I had just never seen it so clear like this. I had never read the actual China Study, so I didn't know. He took their study -- the China Study -- and put it into a book. Why haven't we heard about this, even though his research was gov't funded, he receieved awards, and he along with other well-known and respected doctors are advocating diet as a way to control disease? Well, he talks about this, and it becomes political. That part of the book, though I actually really believe it, wasn't as appealing to me simply because that stuff wears me out. It makes me sad and it's discouraging.




Did he convince me? 100%. Am I a vegan? Not today. But we have started adjusting our eating patterns to reflect more of a plant-based diet. We are taking it slow, but I do feel really good about the changes we've made. I'm losing weight (but eating a lot of fruit, vegetables, and grains), I'm sleeping better, and feeling better all-around. It is a book that everyone should read sometime.




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