Story

I knew that it was not a good thing that my middle son’s favorite meal was chicken tenders and French fries. Although I had been yearning to feed my family better for years, the commercial pressure and peer pressure for fast food were more than I could fight. About six years ago I joined a CSA, or food co-op, for one summer and jumped right in. Unfortunately, it was too drastic a transition for my family. We had no problems using common produce like lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumbers.

My life used to be organized around bars of dark chocolate. I didn’t go anywhere without them. Dark chocolate was my universal solution. Stress at work? One square. Fatigue? One square. Feeling blue? One square. It seemed that every two hours there was some reason why I needed to dive into my purse and break off a piece.

From the very first Suppers meeting I attended, I’ve made it a point of relaying the information I learned to my husband and two kids. I especially wanted to make them understand that a lot of the processed foods we eat are very unhealthy and addictive. At our meeting we had reviewed a book that describes how sugar affects people’s brains, so I impressed on them how drug-like junk food is. After about the fifth meeting, my seven-year-old daughter, Katie, decided to confide in me about how she was feeling in school.

I thought I’d heard every personal label there was, but I was wrong. I’ve heard “I’m an alcoholic”; “I’m a drug addict;” “I’m a sex-addicted, drug-addicted alcoholic;” “I’m an overeater;” you name it.

“The lamb meatloaf I brought home from Suppers was a big hit.” How nice to write something positive in my journal about my family’s dining experiences. It has been a long and slow process inching my family in the direction of better eating habits, a goal I set for myself in The Suppers Programs.

The spiritual foundations of The Suppers Programs are of great interest to me. I have felt such a sense of loss of family traditions, so many of which were typically shared around the dinner table. So the community that grows out of Suppers’ devotion to restoration of the family table nourishes my soul at the same time as it nourishes my body. For me, the value of Suppers meetings is not just the hour I spend with friends, but also carrying the experience into my life.

My nutritional awareness came in with a B-A-N-G.

In the middle of yet another sleepless night the pressure in my brain was explosive.  I took myself to the emergency room, leaving behind my husband and 4-year old son.

Diagnosis: Migraines, Adrenal Fatigue, Osteopenia

MY LIFE WAS IN OVERDRIVE!

My father was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in December. Of course, he wouldn’t listen to my (good) advice back when he was only pre-diabetic. I’m a registered dietician, I could have been really helpful. It took an official diagnosis of diabetes to open his ears. Must have been that Metformin he was prescribed! 

For me, food is love. Gardens are love. Even compost piles are love! It’s in my nature to find the love in things, situations, people and places; to find those magical places of refuge in life that keep you going, inspire you, restore and invigorate your faith and sense of well-being, so that you can be an active partner in creating a better world where love rules. During my time with the amazing Suppers community in Princeton, I saw people spreading love all over the place – in private homes, around dinner tables, in kitchens, and even in a restaurant.

What happened when I took charge and became my own private investigator is nothing short of amazing. AMAZING!

I did one of the popular cleansing diets for a few weeks, nothing drastic, I was still having some relatively normal meals. I devoted myself to the program for six weeks: no sugar, no alcohol, no unhealthy snacking, just whole foods and some protein. My one daily treat was the eight-ounce cup of coffee that I enjoyed each morning. By the end of the six weeks, I felt great. I had lost 10 pounds and had a noticeably more positive mental outlook.