From All Angles

After my first weekend of classes at the Institute of Integrative Nutrition, I am more inspired than ever to prioritize my health and to help others do the same. I've been so passionate about food and cooking since childhood, and environmental conservation since adolescence, but I didn't notice people coming out of the woodworks to talk about it. Now that I'm at IIN and eating and living and looking differently, I feel like people are coming from all angles of my life to talk about nutrition and health. It's so exciting!

My kooky, no-holds-barred grandmother can't quite keep track of what I'm going to school for, but the other week she felt the need to share with me what foods work to keep her regular and what "blocks her up." A year ago, I would've been horribly disgusted and embarrassed. I have never been comfortable talking about that sort of thing.

Now I realize just how important it is to have a digestive system that is in good working order and to experiment to figure out which foods work and don't work for your body. I know for me, eating a creamy, steamy bowl of oatmeal in the morning does wonders. It's seriously like clockwork! I stir in a tablespoonful of coconut oil and a tablespoonful of nut butter with some fruit and cinnamon and it's pure indulgence in my mouth. I realize this is too much information for some of you, which is what I would've thought if my grandmother had shared her story with me six months to a year ago.

Now I feel like I can talk about anything. It hasn't just been with my grandmother, though. My partner has always been weight conscious and she is athletic but now she comes to me constantly for advice on sleeping better, losing weight, reducing stress, and solving some digestive issues. That certainly isn't something I thought I could help people with, but now I feel like people are seeking me out as an educated person when it comes to health and nutrition. It feels amazing.

My younger sister has Rheumatoid Arthritis and was diagnosed as a juvenile. She's had major surgeries and injects herself daily with major medication. She's always been very private, almost stubborn, about accepting support or advice so it's not a subject I broach often. However, there was a woman at IIN the first weekend who announced herself and said that she has RA and through a shift to a more holistic way of eating, she has been able to abstain from any pain medications for five years! When I brought this to my sister's attention, I was worried she would be turned off but she surprisingly was really open, now, to hearing what I had to say and wants me to give her more information. You don't know what this means to me.

Friends, family, acquaintances, roommates, strangers... I taught an employee at Costco recently about natural nut butters vs. processed, modern ones. She didn't even understand why the one nut butter was so full of fat since it was natural! I felt satisfied walking away thinking that she might make at least one informed, healthy choice in her day because of me.

It's important to make change within yourself, for yourself. But I think it's also crucial to take it to the street, so to speak. Help others the way you've helped yourself, the way you know how. Everyday that I wake up, now, and pursue this work, I feel more solid, I feel more necessary in the world. I hope I can one day help others to feel the same.