Paging Dr. Google... the search for health through food

I challenge you to visit your doctor and tell her about something health related you read on the internet.  You will be met with an eye roll and an admonishment for seeking health information on the wild, unregulated, conspiracy filled internet.  Admittedly, if you are experiencing a health problem and google your symptoms, you will probably walk away from your computer convinced that you have 10 different diseases and will be dead in a matter of days.  The only way to halt your untimely demise is to embark on a diet of exotic mail order foods so expensive they will land you in bankruptcy court and engage in a ritual of daily colon cleansing.  Uh, no thanks.

Did you lose your arm in a chainsaw accident?  Blow your knee out in an X Games style athletic endeavor?  Chest pains after meeting your daughter's new boyfriend?  Modern medicine is excellent at treating our acute medical problems.  There aren't very many answers, however, if you experience chronic illness.  I myself struggle with chronic illness and I have found that my diet has a profound impact on my symptoms.  I have experimented with different dietary advice I have come across on you guessed it... the internet... and have found that for my health a diet free of gluten, low in grains (and if eaten at all, properly prepared), and full of good fats, vegetables, and high quality protein is best.  This is how I am trying to feed my whole family.  I don't really believe in religious adherence to any particular diet, but if you want a label this would be a paleo or primal like diet with a strong emphasis on a traditional foods way of eating.

I tried to kick the Standard American Diet (SAD) when my oldest son was a baby and was experiencing severe eczema and asthma and I was experiencing thyroid problems.  Since then I have constantly struggled with my family's diet.  The biggest obstacles for me have been finding good tasting alternatives to the junk food I had become used to and that my picky eater would even look at much less put in his mouth, finding the time to prepare healthy food, being able to afford healthier foods, and being able to find sources for healthier foods.  The internet has been a godsend for me.  I have found some wonderful websites that have helped me tremendously in my endeavors to improve my family's diet.  The proliferation of helpful websites in the last few years has been tremendous.  When I started this food journey 15 years ago with my infant son the information and resources were much harder to come by.  I will leave you with my favorite websites and blogs for recipes and meal planning:  

Wellness Mama- Her Coconut Flour Pancakes and Apple Cinnamon Muffins have become breakfast and snack staples in my house.
The Nourishing Home
Organic & Thrifty
PaleoPot
Mark's Daily Apple
Peace, Love & Low Carb

Enjoy!