My Passion: Food That Heals

My passion is real food — meals made from ingredients that are as close to the way God created them as possible. I read about it, talk about it, live it, and dream about delicious meals made from whole ingredients. But why? Is it because real food tastes so good? Or because it’s so fulfilling to sit down to a meal where everything on the table came from my own kitchen instead of a box? Great reasons, but the truth that drives my passion is the knowledge that real food heals.

My story…
I grew up eating fairly healthy — I’m grateful I had a mom who taught us moderation, and sought to feed her family as well as she knew how. But we still ate a rather typical American diet: lots of over-processed grains,  little whole diary or good fats. By the time I hit the 20’s, my body was starting to show signs of stress. I had begun to gain excess weight for the first time in my life, and was experiencing hair loss, irregular cycles, weak fingernails, and skin problems. A visit to a naturopath revealed my liver was under severe strain and we immediately took steps to relieve the stress on my system. The naturopath told me to avoid all sugar and white flour, and to drink lots of water.

At first I was just glad to know there were some simple things I could do myself that might help. Then, in less than 2 months, I lost 10 lbs., the random, worrying symptoms had fled, and I was already feeling better than I had in years. Yet all I had really done was make a few changes in what I ate! No expensive drug, impossible diet, or invasive procedure; just better food. I became convinced that what we eat is one of the biggest factors in our health and how we feel.  So began my journey.

A Passion Born…
In the next few years I experienced various challenges during pregnancies, mysterious chest pains, and insomnia that kept me searching for answers and seeking better health. I began to learn about the proper place and use of grains in a balanced diet, the necessity of good, whole-fat animal products, and how to make beverages and condiments to aid digestion and boost health. Now I was cooking almost everything from scratch and buying the best ingredients the budget allowed. We continued to see benefits: my husband and I were rarely sick with anything more than a minor cold, and our three children sailed through babyhood without the typical diaper rashes, earaches, or any developing allergies. My belief grew that good food could and did uphold good health.

What could have been considered a hobby or passing interest soon became a passion. I explored, read, and researched new recipes. I branched out,  learning to make my own cultured dairy products, fermented condiments, and soaked grains.  Simultaneously, a desire grew to share my passion with others.  I began blogging about the weird stuff I ate like green and purple smoothies and a tea with a mushroom growing in it. Friends asked for recipes when they found out the tasty meals they ate at my house were actually good for them. Their interest and my passion grew until I realized I should write a book.

A Passion Shared…
And that’s how the book Real {Fast} Food was born. I sacrificed other goals and interests for a season as I compiled recipes, wrote about how I managed to get all this cooking in and still have a life, and edited, edited, edited. My husband formatted it, friends tested recipes and gave valuable insight, and after two long months, we released it as an ebook. The response has been so exciting — I’m now sharing my passion in an effective format with hundreds of other people who share the same passion for real food and want to learn how to incorporate it into their busy lives. The best part has been the feedback and community that has grown around the book. It’s so satisfying to hear back from a busy mother excited about tips for feeding her little ones well, or a young wife grateful for a ‘manual’ of sorts to help her as she makes diet changes to address infertility. It’s a joy to whip up a quick, yummy breakfast casserole for a busy single gal, showing her how it is possible to eat well even in the few minutes she has before running to work.

I’m grateful for how God grew and developed a passion  in me that brings hope to others and such joy and fulfillment in my life, and for the opportunity to share this passion with you. And I leave you with a challenge: has God given you a passion? Know that He has a purpose for that passion. May you find it and live it out fully to God’s glory!

Trina has been married to Jeremy for six years.  She loves to cook healthy food for their three children and enjoys exercising her gift of hospitality.  She learned it was possible to live without a microwave back when her family lived in a Tipi.  Her ebook, Real {Fast} Food, has just been released on Kindle.  Read more at Trina’s blog, “All That Is Good.