In the last few weeks, we finished preserving our sweet corn and pickles, and started harvesting and preserving raspberries, green beans, herbs and tomatoes. I have been starting to keep track of how much time it takes to plant, weed, water, harvest, clean, and preserve this food. It all takes more time than I think it should. When it comes to our health, we can make a lot of changes and feel like we aren’t making any progress. We have to remember that our health didn’t decline overnight, and just like all the work that goes into growing food, healing takes time, but it’s worth it. Don’t give up.

Read more: Healing Takes Time

Cory and I were visiting with the kids last week and my husband said he feels better at 50 than he did at 30. I shared that I feel better at 45 than I ever have. We came to the conclusion that unless a person has experienced a 100 percent traditional, clean diet, they probably don’t even realize how much better they could feel. That is why we want to spread this message. We are so thankful for those people that took the time to share with us. There’s no secret pill or “magic bullet” that we have to sell you. Anyone could do the same things we are doing without buying a single thing from us.

We have an enormous health crisis in our country. Thankfully there are people waking up to the fact that our food is making us sick. The modern diet isn’t working. Thankfully our family has have found that cutting out processed foods completely, raising or sourcing beyond organic ingredients like ancient grains, pastured meats and eggs, heirloom fruits and vegetables, raw milk, and natural sweeteners like honey (sourced from a local farmer) and maple syrup we harvested by our farm, unprocessed salt, and herbs as medicine has cleared up most of our health challenges and improved our quality of life. I do believe if we went back to our previous diet, like some people claim you can do if you heal your gut, we would be experiencing those once again.

Diet can help a lot, but if we aren’t keeping our stress manageable, getting proper sleep early in the night, getting outside, moving our bodies, practicing forgiveness, reducing stress, and cutting toxins by using clean skin, mouth, and cleaning products, and avoiding fragrances, lawn/garden chemicals, etc. and getting fresh air into our homes, we won’t get to experience the healthy body and mind that we could.

As I sit and write this, I’m soaking up the sun and watching our kids boat at my in-law’s dam. We have a pastured chicken, sourdough einkorn bread, and potatoes in the oven for supper. A completely homemade, baked cheesecake awaits us in the freezer, and I will cook up some green beans that I picked before we left when we get home. Healing doesn’t mean we don’t get to enjoy good food or have fun; we eat whatever we want, as long as the ingredients are high quality, though some of us watch our carbs more than others. We can still do fun things and be nourished if we do a little planning. It is just so easy to fall into convenience if we don’t.

Healing takes time, perseverance, and patience, but trusting in God’s timing and following these basic principles can completely transform your quality of life. We would love to hear your story. What small changes have you made that helped you feel your best?