The Early Years
I’ve always been passionate about food. I grew up in a family where cooking and baking was the order of the day. The smells that would fill the house were delicious and, in my family, we believed that you always cooked or baked more rather than less, because someone less fortunate might come knocking on your door in need of something to eat.
This was how I grew up. I had a father who was always cooking and a mother who came up with the most interesting vegetable dishes. My mom has been vegetarian since she was fifteen. She tried to get me to follow the same lifestyle, but her brothers thought it was hilarious to sneak in a worsie or anything meaty when she wasn’t looking. This caught the attention of my taste buds, of course, which is how I ended up eating meat for most of my life.
A Bump in the Road
A specialist told me years ago that I would never be able to fall pregnant naturally, and that trying to conceive would always be an uphill battle. But when I fell pregnant for the second time I didn’t really give much credit to his words. Not to underrate his opinion, but I realised in those moments that anything is possible. That being said, my second pregnancy was a difficult one. I was told by my GP that I should get my thyroid levels checked, which I did.
My diagnosis was that I had the onset of hyperthyroidism. This is the overproduction of the hormone thyroxine which causes a range of things to happen like sweating, irritability, weight loss, a rapid or irregular heartbeat and even fatigue. The type of treatments includes medication, radioactive iodine and sometimes surgery.
Well, a lot of my girlfriends thought the unexpected weight loss symptom was amazing – I mean I get to be skinny forever, right? But by having just a taste of this hormonal problem, I quickly realised that it was something I didn’t want to have progress further. After doing extensive research on “Dr Google” (not advisable, by the way), I eventually had enough and went to see a homeopath.
I chose to see a homeopath specifically because my GP had said that my thyroid problem was not yet ‘in the red,’ which meant that I didn’t require treatment unless it worsened. So my only option was constant monitoring. I then decided I needed to curb this issue before it worsened, and that’s how I found myself on this path.
The Stops and Starts
Now the thyroid is the master of your body, because it governs everything. For us as women, it has a direct impact on our hormones, which means that a dysfunctional thyroid could severely affect our wellbeing. My homeopath recommended that, in order to find my balance, I needed to cut out anything that had hormones inside it – almost as if I needed to reset my body and create a clean slate.
So, I began by cutting out dairy, meat and processed foods. As I received more and more information, I discovered that these foods are not as nutrient-dense as we think they are. All the processing and over-farming has, over time, changed what goes into our bodies. What I feel works best is to test yourself by cleaning out your ‘food closet,’ as I like to call it. Do this for a few weeks and you will discover in an instant what is good or bad for your body.
After six months of leading this clean-eating lifestyle, my hormones eventually balanced out and my thyroid levels were exactly where they needed to be. But at the time this way of eating wasn’t sustainable for my home, as my husband loved his meat and so did my children. I mean, can you imagine buying a double load of groceries and having to cook different meals for yourself and your family each and every single day? Oh, no thank you! Too much effort and hard work. And voila! Just like that, we were back on the meat again.
Fast forward a few years later.
My thyroid began acting up again and so did my iron (yes, this happened while I was eating meat) but I still went ahead and enjoyed it anyway. I just couldn’t let it go, even though I kept feeling sluggish and sick, especially when I consumed red meat. Something was not sitting well with my body.
One day, my daughter (who had at this stage grown up and become aware of the world around her) started questioning us every time we went to the local butchery. She wanted to know why we were ‘eating the cow’ (her words), and I honestly didn’t know what to tell her.
Now I don’t consider myself unhealthy. I eat balanced meals, I exercise and I try and hike every now and again to get in touch with the outside world. But after having too many of these sluggish moments, my husband and I both decided to give the plant-based lifestyle a try and really make an effort to stick to it.
We’re Cruising, Baby!
It’s been almost 3 years now and we (including the kids) still choose not to eat meat. We have also minimised our processed foods and dairy intake considerably. I feel I am the healthiest I’ve ever been in my life (including my childhood years) and I haven’t looked back since. It’s been a massive lifestyle adjustment, but we try our best to make food a fun experience in our home.
My children know that I am open to them eating meat, but they always say ‘No, Mommy, it’s okay, I don’t want to eat the chicken.’ They’re adorable and I do laugh in these moments, but ultimately the decision whether to eat meat or not will always be theirs.
If I had known that food would have such a profound effect on my life, I would’ve changed things a long time ago. But when you are accustomed to living a certain way, you prefer to remain in your comfort zone.
As a woman and a mother I feel it’s so important to take care of yourself, to listen to your body and to follow your gut. If something makes you feel unwell, then stop allowing it to. I’m not saying that my lifestyle has made me immortal, but I certainly feel that I am strong and happy and my hormones feel as if they are completely in sync. It’s a wonderful way to be!
The best part is, my children have a mom who not only loves and cares for them, but has the same amount of energy they do to enjoy each moment that life has to offer.
Find out more about Kia Johnson.
Disclaimer: The content of this post is not to be taken as medical advice. Neither Seasoned Journeys nor Kia Johnson are medical professionals. This is a reflective post, speaking of an individual’s journey. Please consult your doctor before embarking on any sort of diet or lifestyle change which could impact your health and/or wellbeing.
