Synchronicity

Have you heard of the word “Synchronicity”? It is when you are so attuned with the universe and the world around you that everything you do, and say, and the people you come in contact with, all align with your goal and your purpose.  When you are buzzing with an energy that attracts exactly what you need and have manifested.  This is what I have been experiencing recently…

I learned about synchronicity for the first time in my integrative nutrition and health coaching schooling.  I had never heard of it before.  Now, I see synchronicity happening everywhere.  Wherever I go, and I am not kidding you, I meet people who have some kind of chronic illness or inflammatory condition, just - like - me. 

I will give you three recent examples that stick out in my mind.

Cecilio: My husband and I just came back from traveling to Europe, and the evening we flew out of Chicago, we sat down at a counter next to a man named Cecilio. He was immediately charismatic.  He told me that he owned a technology consulting firm that went into schools and worked with their math departments. He once was a math teacher, but has since left the teaching profession to pursue running his own business. Cue, uncanny coincidence #1. Then we were talking, and it happened to be a wine bar that my husband was ordering wine at. Cecilio had commented to us that he could only have Sauvignon Blanc wine because its chemical makeup was easily digestible for someone who had chronic gout. Then he went on to say that he has to eat very specifically for his gout and doesn’t drink a lot of alcohol and has a very specific diet regimen that he follows to be able to manage his symptoms, and that this has helped him immensely. Cue uncanny coincidence #2.  I went on to explain that I myself had certain things I can and cannot eat and told him my health story. We bonded, and then I explained to him that I too was starting a new business, and shared with him my mission and message. He was so supportive of me. He said that so many people need my help and are searching for just exactly what I am offering. He said soon my business will bloom so quickly, I will have so many clients that I won’t know what to do with all of them.

Nail technician in Brussels: In Brussels we had a day where we traveled back from Bruges, and we were taking a late flight out of the city to Zurich. In the meantime we washed our clothes at a local laundromat and I thought, I’m going to get my nails done. I met a sweet woman, who was from Brussels, who said that she doesn’t eat many of the things that local Belgians eat because they hurt her stomach. Cue uncanny coincidence #1. She said that at one time in her life she was so sick, and bedridden, and she went to a number of doctors asking for help, and no one could help her. Cue uncanny coincidence #2.  Then she said that she started reading food labels and noticed that when she didn’t eat gluten, or dairy, or processed foods she would feel better. And that after not eating those foods for a while she started to heal and get better, and finally she was able to get out of bed and start living life again. She said that a lot of French people are in denial about gluten, unlike the Italians who embrace the gluten free lifestyle (believe it or not).  I told her I also didn’t eat gluten and that I had something called celiac disease. Cue uncanny coincidence #3. Then she said that one time she traveled to America and she remembered eating processed food from fast food joints and chips like doritos and thinking, this food tastes really good, but it is not good for you, in the least. Yes girl. Cue uncanny coincidence #4. 

Pharmacist with autoimmune: Recently I was eating out with friends, and I got to chat with someone that I knew of as an acquaintance, but had never really sat down to have a conversation with. Again, ironically I had put my things down in a chair, and she sat down right next to me. But, I never said anything about diet or food at all, and then it just came up.  We were talking and I asked her what she did. She said she was a pharmacist. My reaction was like - wow, that is amazing! And hard! She was like, yeah I’ve been doing it for seventeen years and I am really burned out. I said, yeah I have been teaching for fourteen years and I am really burned out too. And she said, oh really. And I said, yeah, that is actually why I am learning something new and starting my own business. So then we got to talking about that. I shared with her that I wanted to start this business because I myself had autoimmunes. Then she says, oh I have autoimmunes too. I mean, this is crazy. Cue uncanny coincidence #9,000.

It seems like no matter where I land, there is always someone to talk to about my mission, what I am striving to add value into this world, or the fact that I am trying to give back after living in such a dark cloud of pain for 10 plus years.  

In fact, I had a literal conversation with my husband about how he understands that I am so jazzed about my new quest for knowledge about holistic nutrition and health + wellness, but I don’t have to talk about it all the time in social settings. Which I totally get. So I made a pact with him that I wouldn’t bring it up in conversation with our friends or family when we were out in public. Not bringing it up in conversation is the key. I vowed to now initiate conversation about nutrition or autoimmunes or inflammation. But guess what, it keeps finding me. Like no matter how hard I try, how cool and chill I try to be about what I have experienced and the knowledge that I have gained, the people keep finding me.

Every time I sit down, someone is curious and asking about Belly Love Wellness, a new recipe I recently posted, or asking me questions about their life.  And you know what, I am here for it. I love it and I can’t believe how things work out. 

This was a great summer. As always it was very busy. I continue to work towards my Masters in Nutrition in the background. So far I have taken all of the required prerequisites to be admitted in the nutrition and dietetics masters program, however in the process of working towards a dietetics degree I have learned a lot of interesting things along the way. The more I learn about nutrition the more I learn I don’t know. But that is what lifelong learning is all about.  And what I have discovered is that there is a lot more to nutrition than food science. Science is very important, and it is the cornerstone of my practice and my schooling, however it depends on what studies you are looking at and who is curating the information that you are learning. 

In my journey to becoming a nutrition professional, which is intertwined, but uniquely different from my own personal health and wellness journey, I have taken many adaptations of where I want to go with my schooling, my credentials, and ultimately my private practice. What do I want to be able to offer my clients? This is still ever evolving, but I have learned so much. 

Nutrition isn’t just about macros. And it certainly isn’t just about losing weight. For God sakes, can we please get off that train. One thing I know FOR CERTAIN that I am passionate about is not letting diet culture and diet dogma clog up our path to success. It literally stunts your ability to thrive and succeed. Ugh, the diet influencers. I can’t, I just can’t. The ‘people’ in my own community, working for diet companies, calling themselves “health coaches”. I literally can’t anymore.  I have had to silence them on social media, because I can’t see them weigh one more ounce of food.  

Let me tell you something right here. If you have to weigh your food, or track every calorie that you are eating. THAT IS DISORDERED EATING. Diet culture has made it acceptable and honestly, they have encouraged disordered eating. This is not to be taken lightly, because eating disorders are very, very serious. Many people know about Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia. We have heard about binge eating. But what I didn’t realize until my schooling, was that binge eating wasn’t just for someone with Bulimia. It is very common. If you deprive and restrict yourself from food, for any reason, there may be the potential for a binge. So you have to be very intune with your relationship with food and how food interplays with your life, in order for you to be able to successfully live on a therapeutic diet. More on that in a moment. However, there is another type of eating disorder called Orthorexia. Sometimes people call them “almond moms”. But it is a real thing. This is when you are so stressed about what you are eating that you omit yourself from social situations or you just don’t eat. Like at all. 

Now this is very different from following a personalized therapeutic food plan for your chronic health condition. Very different. A therapeutic food plan is used for healing purposes only and the goal is to get you back to eating a variety of foods. That is always the goal. This is different from Orthorexia Nervosa.  

My goal is to help you get back to yourself.  To walk alongside you and support you to heal yourself.  80% of chronic health conditions that people seek medical attention from the doctor for, can be managed with lifestyle.  It is actually called lifestyle medicine. I have recently heard of two stories of MD’s leaving the conventional medical model because they were recommending lifestyle medicine to their patients, and their higher up admins brought them behind closed doors to reprimanded them for not prescribing pharmaceuticals. What!? This has got to stop. 
80% of what you are dealing with can be improved by a multidimensional approach on the foundations of health; personalized nutrition, joyful movement, stress management, toxin reduction, quality sleep, nervous system regulation, trauma release, connection to nature, meaningful connections with relationships and community, and finding your passions and creativity.  

But this is NOT easy. It requires behavior change. This is why it is important to work with a person who has certifications in health coaching and integrative nutrition. Not only do I have my certification in health coaching, but I also have fourteen years of experience in education. I know how to motivate and create programs for learning. I also use modalities like positive psychology, motivational interviewing, stages of food conscious, healing your relationship with food, and more to help support and honor your needs as my client. 

In addition to all of this, the CORNERSTONE of changing your nutrition and lifestyle for the betterment of your health comes with confidence in the kitchen.  One of the main pillars of my mission and my message is that you will not be able to successfully maintain a customized and personalized therapeutic diet or protocol or food plan for your chronic condition, autoimmune, or inflammatory disease if you cannot make DELICIOUS food for yourself at home.  

The key is that it has to be delicious, and easy yes. But the more skills you learn in the kitchen, the more you will become an artist and the driver in the driver seat of your health. The more control you will have over literally EVERYTHING. For example, one of the things I talk about with my clients is resiliency and polite advocacy when out in public and social situations. Whether that be with family, friends, events, gatherings, or at restaurants. You are going to run into situations where people are nice and understanding, and then there are going to be times when people aren’t so nice, and they don’t understand. Because let’s face it, until we run into a literal wall sometimes with our health, whether that be from being diagnosed, or our life comes to a screeching halt because the signs and symptoms are so severe that it impacts the quality of our life and we HAVE to listen, we - don’t - get - it. I honestly wouldn’t have gotten it if you would have asked me ten years ago to understand where a celiac was coming from, for example. I wouldn’t have understood what it was like to modify my diet because I was used to being able to eat wherever I wanted.

But, if you can make unapologetically delicious, restaurant quality and BETTER food for yourself at home, you won’t feel deprived. EVER. You will be able to make the best quality food, better than a restaurant, I guarantee you. And everyone will want to come over to your house for parties and get togethers, because they know they will come away eating delicious food AND it will make their bellies feel good. And they will be asking, how did you make that food so delicious without it upsetting my stomach or making me tired, or having to run to the bathroom? You know the age old, yeah I’m eating Mexican tonight and then I will have to run to the bathroom afterwards. I wish people would know that if you have diarrhea after a meal, then that is a red flag. You shouldn’t just continue eating those meals if they give you diarrhea. Chronic diarrhea means there is extreme stresser going on in the colon and digestive tract. Extreme stress means inflammation, chronic inflammation leads to disease, and disease, if left unchecked can lead to cancer. 

So…what do we do? Well, you can meet with me, Tammie. And, you can sign up for one of my upcoming cooking classes. The first consultation is free and it is an opportunity for us to chat about your health and wellness goals while I provide you a safe, non-judgemental place to heal, grow, and learn. Email me directly or sign up for a free consultation on my website.