Wellness One Day At A Time [Challenge Entry]

Ashley was a regular forum poster and encouraging friend to many on the forum. Her mental attitude was great and she had some great meal ideas! She blogs at Life.Love.Miscellany

Enter Ashley…

I had actually heard of Wellness Mama a few times before ever visiting her blog. But when I read her guest post atConversion Diary, I was intrigued and after sending the post to my husband, I spent days making my way through her site.

I wish I could say that then and there I decided to give up grains, but I didn’t. The seed had been planted though. A few days later I read an article in a magazine my mother-in-law had brought home about some actress that was Primal. They mentioned that one of the benefits people see is clearer skin. That was the last bit of motivation I needed. I’ve struggled with acne for years and have tried everything short of Accutane but nothing really worked. Sure, it’s improved but I still have acne. I guess you could say that I figured I’d finally have clear skin by the time I turned twenty-four, but no such luck. So, my vanity sealed the deal.

My first goal was to cut out grains, sugar, potatoes, beans, and processed foods. Since my entire family is grain-free, the first thing we did was clean out our cabinets. That made things a lot easier!

I immediately noticed that I had a tendency to look in the cabinets when I wanted a snack (usually pita chips), but now those snacks were gone. I found that I wasn’t eating because I was hungry but because I was bored or simply procrastinating. I’ve enjoyed keeping track of what I eat everyday on the forum because it’s made me accountable for my actions.

I also love being able to read what other people are eating and making. Being new to this style of eating, sometimes I’m at a loss at what I should make. Seeing what others are eating has inspired me to try new recipes. I soaked nuts for the first time and I bought a bag of chia seeds (now if I could only remember to use them). We even bought a quarter of grass-fed beef.

Surprisingly most days were fine. We either cooked or we ate what we could when my mom cooked. I said no to fresh, homemade tortillas. I picked the potatoes out of my green chile stew. Even when my parents picked up a pizza after a long day on the water, I made a big salad and a piece of steak. I tried to do the best that I could. But I wasn’t perfect. I ate some of that anniversary cake. It was the first time I needed a nap in weeks.

As crazy as this may sound, I had never made a connection between what I ate and being tired during the day. I had always figured that I just needed to sleep more. This really showed me how my body reacted to grains and sugar. This strengthened my resolve to make better choices about what I eat and what I put into my body, especially after watching Fat Head.

I don’t wear a lot of make-up but one of my goals was to find a non-toxic powder foundation and lipstick. I spent hours going through Skin Deep and I found many options but most of them were only available online. I’m pretty clueless when it comes to beauty products so I wasn’t comfortable buying something that I had never seen or tried before.

I did, however, buy a voucher to Yes To Carrots (a company I’m familiar with) and I decided to buy a few of their lip tints after looking up the ingredients on Skin Deep. I haven’t received them yet but I look forward to trying them. As for the foundation, I have a short list of companies whose products I like and now I’m just trying to figure out which one would be best for me.

So, how’s my skin doing? I wish I could say that I have beautiful clear skin, but I don’t. But I have made progress. I stopped using my topical prescription medicine at the start of the month and I’ve been using coconut oil as my daily moisturizer. I’ve already noticed that my skin tone is becoming more even. Last week I even started using apple cider vinegar as my new toner. The smell reminds my husband of dying Easter eggs, so I need to add a few more drops of essential oil to reduce the smell. While my skin isn’t clear, it does look better than ever. And I love that.