I’ve had allergies since I can remember. Ever since I was born, as a matter of fact.

Thanks to these allergies, both food and seasonal, my relationship with food has entirely changed for the better. I needed to take the time to figure out which foods were my friend and which foods were, uh, shall we say, not my friend at all. This requires diligent work, taking the time to separate one ingredient from my consumption altogether and seeing if my body reacts negatively or positively from this change.

However, not all of it is tiresome hard work. I actively seek opportunities to try new dishes, new foods, experimenting with different flavors, all with the goal of nourishing my body. Why nourish your body (and soul) with plain, boring options when you can fuel yourself with mouth-watering, delicious meals?

My personal trick is to stick with foods that help lower inflammation in the body. This is suuuper helpful if you have allergies like me. To be frank, the less inflammation you have in your body, the better. To me, what works is lots of fatty fish, cruciferous vegetables (think broccoli, cauliflower, onions), berries, mushrooms, peppers, green tea, tomatoes, avocados, and cherries. I also try to avoid processed sugars and foods as. often. as. possible. You guys, I can’t even stress enough how inflammatory all that high fructose corn syrup sh*t is for your body. Please, stop, for your own sake.

I find I get the most satisfaction from growing my own food on the land at home. Not only is it extremely rewarding, but this way I know every meticulous detail of what’s going in to my soil, my plants, my produce, and therefore, my body. It’s fascinating to learn that we really are what we eat, and our cells are built of what we consume.

Treat yourself and your body with respect, nourish it well.

All my love,

Miranda Renée