First Post

So I have decided to start trying out this thing called blogging as a way to get all the thoughts that bounce around in my head out to the unsuspecting public. I have started a journey of learning about natural nutrition and it’s opened my eyes to the myriad of healthy alternatives for everything from what you eat, to what you put on your skin.

There is a lot of information out there, and it can be confusing and contradictory. I like to try to keep things simple, but I do tend to go into detailed explanations on the “how” or “why” so that people actually understand how or why they are doing something. For example, most people know they need to increase probiotics. But do they know “why”…like, the real why? Probiotics are essential in the gut tract to extract nutrients from food as it passes through the intestine, and deliver it to the blood stream via the liver. Without the proper amount of probiotics, you end up lacking the ability to absorb nutrients. Who knew!? I’d like to demystify the information that is out there, and while I am doing that, I am also learning more and more myself.

I am on a personal journey myself, I know more than some, but not as much as others. I feel I can help people, but only on the surface because my knowledge isn’t deep enough yet.

I plan on using this forum to write about my journey at school, and write about the new things I learn along the way. Eventually I envision this to become a website, then a clinic with actual real live clients! Then, who knows?

Part of my personal journey is overcoming my intense shyness and stage fright. A lot of people would not believe that I have this because I have masked it for many, many years. Instead, people who don’t know me might think I’m weird, or rude because of my facial expressions or random comments I made because I am very uncomfortable and nervous. This is one of my biggest challenges to overcome. Not sure where to start…it’s not like I have time for psychotherapy! But that may be what I need. Basically, when faced with speaking to a group – and I mean literally a small group of people, even people I know very well, my heart races, my mouth turns dry, and I lose the ability to think. I can’t process a comprehensive sentence, have nothing meaningful to add, and generally just want to run away and hide. I do prefer being alone, but love having lots of friends and family. I am confident, and intelligent, and do have a lot to contribute, but my fear of speaking to anyone who isn’t my best friend, husband, child or parents scares the shit out of me and I freeze. So if I am to be successful in the field of natural nutrition, I need to overcome this debilitating quirk.

This is a long post because it’s the first and I want to include most of the threads I will be randomly following going forward. So fear of public speaking is one journey, and part-time learning at Canadian School of Natural Nutrition is another. I started in September and have covered Fundamentals of Nutrition – so the basics  and am currently studying Anatomy and Physiology. I am completely fascinated at how complex the human body is. Most people know that we are basically made up of cells, but when you start looking deep into one single cell, you come across an entire ecosystem, or a city, like New York, doing all of this work. It’s mind boggling how complex we are, and these thoughts started to occur to me when I was pregnant. I had 4 terrible months of “morning” sickness where I would literally puke 4-5 times a day. Yuck. Anyway, I kept reminding myself that I was creating a human being. And humans are exceptionally complex. So kudos to women everywhere who have babies. It’s not an easy feat, and no wonder some people call it a miracle. So the study of anatomy and physiology has so far been very interesting to me, and to understand how nutrition impacts us on a cellular level. “How” you ask…? Well, all of the essential amino acids (from complete proteins) are required to make the protein inside the nucleus of a cell. Protein has many functions inside just one cell. And fat – or lipids, another essential macro nutrient  is required for healthy cellular membrane (where nutrients and substances pass in and out of the cell, nourishing it or helping it do what it’s supposed to do). And water…cells are 60-70% water. If you don’t replenish enough, your cells are losing water and won’t function as they should. And this is why people get sick. Fascinating, right?

Anyway, I think this is sufficient for my first blog. I do hope you visit often and I welcome your comments and questions, but please be nice! I am not an industry expert so if I have gotten something wrong, please constructively criticize.

Pour votre sante.

Coconutlime