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Natural Year Challenge: Food - Month One

Explore Your SourcesFood Co-op Delivery

Welcome to your first step in transitioning to a natural, healthy, and flavorful diet! It is our hope that these steps will help you ease into the changes, making your journey pleasant and rewarding. Your first assignment is to explore your sources. No need to do anything but research for the entire month!

Local:

  • Look for local food co-ops, organic buying clubs, and farmers markets. Search online using the name of your community/city and some of these key phrases to find out if any like-minded groups are nearby. Ask someone you know who has an interest in the subject where they buy their food. Consider this a treasure hunt of sorts!
  • Check out your local health food store. Speak with the manager and inquire about their source for meats and dairy products. Look for chicken that is pastured and not exclusively vegetarian. (Bugs are important for a chicken's diet!)
  • See the Local Connections section of our Food Resources page to find local sources of fresh, organic food.
  • Check your local grocer for organic produce. Stores are increasing their supplies and will continue to do so as the demand grows.

Online:

  • There is a vast community of individuals committed to organic, farm-fresh food. The Internet offers a wonderful opportunity to connect with these people. For specific websites, see the Online Sources section of our Food Resources page.

    What about the cost? Try to put your questions about cost aside as you do this research. This step does not involve buying; it simply involves "shopping." As you learn more about cuts of meat, organ meats, bone broths, fermenting, etc. you will be surprised by how affordable healthy eating can be.

If you find yourself "ahead" and are eager to jump in, feel free to try one new thing. It might be an organic chicken, a dozen free-range eggs, or a naturally fermented food such as sauerkraut (Bubbies is an excellent brand often found in health food stores).

Continue your research by reading a book on the subject. See the Books section of our Food Resources page for suggestions.


The video below offers some encouragement from Andrea as you take this first step.
We wish you all the best as you begin your move toward healthier living!

Quotes

"We all suffered from headaches, hormonal body temperature fluctuations, brain fog, fatigue, difficulty breathing, thrush, rashes, and yeast infections... we vacated our home two weeks ago."

– Anonymous

"Both of my sons went downhill quickly and coughed for months... They both lost their ability to read, had profound vision disturbances, and had phenomenal gastric issues."

– Lee

"...at age 35 or 36 I started to become allergic to everything, and I got asthma at age 36... I went to doctor after doctor after doctor and was desperate for help, but nobody could help me."

– Mia

"I was skeptical at first that these (natural cleaning) products would work, but they work better than the stuff I buy at the store! We will soon be moving to the personal care products as well!"

– Jennifer

"My symptoms persisted and eventually turned into lethargy and depression. At the age of 26, I required a nap every evening after work."

– Jennifer

"I have been sick for almost 6 months now and doctors were not able to figure out why. I finally put it all together after going away for vacation for a week and suddenly my symptoms were going away."

– Anonymous

"I knew it was mold, but doctors kept telling me I had anxiety. I was sitting in my office and could not remember who I was talking to, or what we were talking about."

– Brenda

"I'm new at this, but today I cleaned my bathroom with baking soda and vinegar. It's much better not having those strong chemical smells afterwards."

– Anonymous

"We had some water leaks in our home... we never thought we needed to clean out and remove the floor, the ceiling, or the drywall... my two small children and I have remained constantly sick for years in this home."

– Mia

"I had been struggling with headaches, head fog, breathing difficulties (unable to get a full breath), constant scalp tingling, migraines, nausea, feeling spacey/detached, and severe itchy skin."

– Anonymous

"The entire time we lived in our (mold-infested) house the kitchen sponge would get musty smelling within 3-4 days. It was so strange. I had to buy a pack of sponges nearly every week."

– Anonymous

"My daughter started having digestive problems... heart palpitations... coughing episodes... muscle/joint pain... asthma/allergies... Her doctor finally advised me to check for mold in our home."

– Anonymous

"Our family has been out of our home for 9 months due to mold... I am so scared and weak from all of this. We have lost friends; family members don't understand."

– Anonymous

"The ERMI mold test as well as your helpful articles and Toxic Talk Tuesday programs have helped us avoid a terrible mistake in purchasing a new home."

– Angela

"I've been living in a mold-infested home for 13 months... I was going CRAZY! Finally figured it out... Just a few days of recovering in a mold-free home and I feel AMAZING!!!"

– Lauren

"In my moldy home if I left the wet clothes in the washer they would get musty very quickly and I'd have to re-wash... Sometimes I'd run a load, go to work, and they'd be musty when I returned that evening."

– Anonymous

"My daughter has had many blood samples taken to test for everything imaginable and her doctor just seems puzzled. Everything comes back normal."

– Anonymous

"I started finding myself sitting on the floor in rooms of my house and not remembering how I got there, what I was doing before, or how long I had been there."

– Brenda

"We were having a lot of health problems and had been to the doctor countless times... we had large circles of slimy greenish-black mold on the bathroom ceiling, where it had caved in a few months before."

– C.

This site is dedicated to a true friend and mother — Barbara Dell Kessel (1929-2009)