ABOUT ME

My Story and Journey

My natural living health journey started when I saw Dr. Mark Hyman at a conference and then read his book, The Blood Sugar Solution. It really changed my whole perspective on food!  I thought I was eating healthier than I had in college, a time when for my birthday I asked for McDonalds gift cards, because there was one right next to our school.  But, when I looked at our diet, we were still eating a LOT of processed foods.  Foods that had a ton of added sugar, or high fructose corn syrup.  Foods that almost all contained dairy and gluten.  Foods that had trans fats and were genetically modified.  Dr. Hyman, in his book, set up a six week meal plan, and while it allowed for some flexibility, depending on your current state of health, the “rules” were clear, no sugar (besides some fruit), no dairy, no gluten, no caffeine.  And no going out and buying a bunch of “gluten free” foods!  The point was to make your own food from real ingredients.

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I went through our cupboards and made a giant “donate” pile.  In hindsight, maybe I should have just thrown it out!  Those food items weren’t good for anyone to eat.  My husband, Kevin, wasn’t on board right away, but when he saw how passionate I was, he jumped on.  

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We went to a great grocery store and stocked up on “real food.”  Our cart was full of fresh, natural living plant foods, and some organic meats and canned beans.  We had never had a cart that looked like this… some greens we had never even tried before!

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The recipes were delicious.  It did take more time, yes, than our usual pasta and sauce or “stovetop ready” or microwave meals, but it was worth it.  By the end of the six weeks, we both had way more energy and our “ailments” were gone.  For Kevin, the chronic stomach aches and pains, sluggishness, and canker sores were gone.  For me, the acne was gone and my mood was much better all the time.  We both lost a little weight.  It turns out Kevin has a sensitivity to gluten, and I think dairy contributes to my skin issues. 

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After that, I got a little obsessed with researching different diets, and finding the perfect one.  I realized, though, that the perfect diet depends on the individual person.  There have been some cultures that have thrived on a vegetarian diet, and some that predominantly eat meat and live long lives.  I think you may have to experiment a little with what feels best for YOU.  However, I think QUALITY is the most important thing.  We eat as much organic as we can afford, and we eat meat once or twice a week, as long as we know where it came from.  Most importantly, we make our own food.  We do have fun going out to eat, but it is an occasional thing… and we try to pick a place with “real food,” I don’t remember the last time we ate at a fast food restaurant… and you couldn’t pay us to!

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I also have gotten more interested in natural living, in general.  Food is important, but what about all the products we put on our skin?  Our skin is our largest organ… so isn’t it absorbing all these chemicals I put on it from lotions, hair products, makeup?  Slowly I started researching this too and reducing and replacing everything I was putting on my body. I even partnered with a company distributing naturally based haircare!  And what about the water we drink?  The air we breathe?  The medications we take?

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The last one struck a chord with me.  I went to pharmacy school, I have a doctorate in pharmacy, I am a pharmacist.   I see how food helped me become healthy, NOT prescription drugs.  So then "PharmerSarah" natural living coach was born!