about kneadfresh...

I have always been a "healthy eater," meaning I like my fruits and veggies and enjoy a pretty wide variety in my diet.  I also love dessert, but more on that another time...

A long story short, I got sick.  Really sick.  My doctor diagnosed me with a condition and immediately wrote me a prescription.  He assured me that there was no alternative treatment for my condition and to think of my medicine "as a vitamin."  However, my prescription wasn't  just a vitamin, and it made me absolutely miserable.  The side effects piled on top of one another until one day I had a full-blown allergic reaction.  I refused to believe that this drug was my only option and I set-out, determined to find another way to help my body heal.

So I started to read.  I checked-out stacks of books and medical journals from the library.  I found people who suffered from the same condition.  And I discovered overwhelming research supporting the idea that my condition, and SO MANY other "prescription only" health problems, can be cured by diet alone.  Food is medicine, and if you are eating the right stuff, it will heal you.

My new prescription was to eat a plant-based diet free of preservatives, dyes, chemicals or any other non-food item.  I suppose you could call me an "Organic Vegan," if you have to label it.  But that sounds a bit pretentious, so I usually don't :).

Armed with my research, I committed to changing my diet for thirty days.  Cutting-out meat, dairy, and eggs was easy enough, but a girl can only eat so many salads before going crazy.  And I was astounded by how much of what was in my pantry wasn't actually food, but toxic chemicals.  I began to experiment a little bit in the kitchen, trying to find ways to make this diet work for the (sometimes picky) tastes of my family.  There were plenty of failures, but there were also wild successes.  I started sharing my recipes, and others seemed to like them, too.

And I started to feel better.  A LOT better.  Three months in, I won't say that all my symptoms have vanished, but I can say that I am more energetic and more myself than I have been in years.  Or to put it another way, I feel so much better that the idea of reverting to my old diet seems ridiculous.

Kneadfresh is a celebration of not being "sentenced" to vegan eating.  Rather, it is about finding new favorites, new foods around which to create memories, and renewing my health.  It is about feeding my entire family within the boundaries of my eating restrictions with none of us feeling deprived. 

And kneadfresh isn't just for vegans!  Most of us need to increase the ratio of plants in our diets, and I hope to share recipes and ideas here that can help.  I want my readers to try these recipes and love them so much that the "vegan" part of it doesn't matter.  Most of all, I want my ideas to help other people feel better and be able to live more vibrant, healthful lives, one vegetable at a time. 

So be inspired, get cooking, and enjoy!