I used to think that chronic sickness and allergies were a normal part of life.  I usually got 2 sinus infections a year, I had asthma (used an inhaler daily), had chronic eczema and dermatitis.  I was diagnosed with all sorts of things:  allergic to cats and dogs, dust, mold, ragweed, smoke.  I took a daily decongestant,  a steroid cream on my skin, and pretty regular use of Benadryl.

When I decided to become a yoga teacher, part of my training was nutrition, which was based on my teachers lifestyle which at the time was pretty much macrobiotic vegan.  I thought, “This is an impossible way to live.  No dairy, sugar or meat?  Soy cheese?  Brown rice?”  I didn’t think it was THAT necessary.  One week at training, my teacher was sitting next to me looking at my face.  She said, “you should really stop eating dairy – it will make your skin look sooo much better”.  What?  I didn’t think I ate that much dairy?  But, that was what I needed to at least give it a try.    It was simple, but not easy (I did eat a lot of dairy)!  I had to relearn how to prepare my food and eat.  So I started watching Christina Cooks on PBS (her cancer went into remission when she start cooking and eating whole foods).    I took cooking classes with my teacher.  I had to practice my Yamas  (Brahmacharya – self-restraint, moderation) and my Niyamas  (Saucha – cleanliness of my food, Svadhyaya – study of oneself).

15 years later, I have no need for an inhaler.  Haven’t used a steroid cream in years, and haven’t had a sinus infection since 1999! Oh, and I get lots of compliments about my skin!  What do I eat now?  A whole foods based diet that focuses on plant-based eating with a little animal protein on the side :)!  What are my daily staples?

• Kombucha (I make my own since it is so expensive at the store)
• Twig Tea
• Coconut Milk Ice Cream (a girl has got to live!! – I also make my own since this too i so expensive)
• Fresh greens
• Multi-vitamin (New Chapter Women’s Once Daily)
• Magnesium (Natural Calm) – this helps my body absorb calcium better from my food
• YOGA PRACTICE
• Quiet time

As long as these are part of my day, it’s easy for me to stay with my healthy whole foods eating.  I eat with the seasons, so what’s in season is what’s on my table.  Lots of different types of salads in the spring and summer.  Lots of soups, stews and chilis during the fall and winter.

I don’t eat any wheat since I started to suspect that was aggravating my skin conditions.  Guess what?  A few months after I stopped wheat, no more rashes and uncontrollable itching!    I keep a wheat free flour mix in my pantry.  I also use spelt flour (this has gluten, so if you have celiac stay away from spelt!) which is a distant cousin of wheat which allows me to make delicious spelt pizza crust, spelt pretzels, spelt chocolate chip cookies, etc. etc.  I have found cutting out wheat has been relatively easy!  As long as I can plan :).

Thankfully life is a journey and not a destination.  I am always trying new things and changing.  I stopped eating too much soy as it was bothering my stomach.  A little bit here and there is ok for me.  Red meat (that includes pork!!) has been out of my diet for probably 13 years, but poultry is in and out of my diet.  Fish has always been in – probably once or twice a week.  Luckily, when you’re a yoga teacher you have to be flexible (pun intended)!