Hello! Welcome to my blog. I’m Jen, the creator of My Healthy Homemade Life and I’m so glad you stopped by!
Let me tell you a little about myself and the blog.
I’m an herbalist, avid gardener and a bit of a health nerd! I love to read and research things I’m passionate about! I also love to experiment with new projects and healthy recipes. There’s always something new brewing in the MHHL kitchen!
Let me inspire you to live a healthier, more natural life. I love to share herbal home remedies and natural skin care recipes as well as information on foraging and wildcrafting and tips on how you can live a healthier, more self-sufficient life.
My Story
My health journey began several years ago when my husband, Terry, was diagnosed with severe ulcerative colitis. When he was finally diagnosed with the disease, he had lost nearly 100 lbs in a few short months and was at his junior high weight. He was extremely ill and too far gone to consider any other option other than surgery. A few days after our oldest daughter was born, he had his colon removed and eventually, the surgeon created an internal colostomy called a J-Pouch.
After visiting numerous doctors and specialists and several surgeries, my husband and I both came away with a new view on health. We had some fantastic specialists along the way but one thing became clear to us —- no one truly cares for your health has much as you do. We are responsible for our own health–not the doctors, not our insurance company, just us. A seed was planted in my mind. I needed to take better care of myself and my family. Our health was a precious thing. I just didn’t know where to start exactly.
Over the next few years, my husband’s health improved slowly but he had permanent nerve damage due to his inability to absorb nutrients when he was ill. He had gained back some weight and was starting to look healthy when we noticed he was losing weight again. This time it was thyroid disease. We were told his thyroid needed to be radiated or he would continue to get worse. At the doctor’s encouragement, the appointment was made and it was done. Looking back now, we both have such regret that we didn’t question it more or look for another solution. We were just scared.
It was after my husband’s thyroid procedure that I started to feel more and more that we needed to take better care of our health. Instead of blindly following doctor’s orders, we needed to do more research and find if there were better, more natural options. It was also around this time that I started going to the library every week and reading everything I could on how to improve our health.
My husband had more serious issues but I wasn’t a vision of health either. In 2008, I was 30 lbs overweight with high cholesterol and extremely high triglycerides.
We ate the standard American diet, went to fast food restaurants about once a week, I was overweight and my kids were constantly getting sick. We took over-the-counter medication regularly for headaches, tummy aches, sore throats, aches, pains, colds and the flu. My kids were on antibiotics at least twice a year for ear and respiratory infections.
We needed to make changes and the first place I started was with our diet. You can read about what I did to transition my family to a healthier diet here.
Before we started our health journey, we were eating the Standard American diet.
It’s been over 10 years that I started my family on the path to better health. It started gradually with the introduction of a green smoothie into our day and it is has grown into so much more. Today, we primarily eat a gluten-free, plant-based diet consisting of whole foods with an occasional addition of fish or seafood. We have two children with food allergies so that can be a challenge at times. I try to focus on feeding my family nutrient-dense, delicious foods. We aren’t always perfect but we’re trying and we’ve come a long way!
“After” –7 years after we began our health journey
Our health journey has led me in so many unexpected directions. I’ve discovered how much I love living a more healthy and natural, self-sufficient life. Over the past 6 years, I’ve studied herbalism at the Herbal Academy of New England, The Chestnut School of Herbal Medicine and the Commonwealth School of Holistic Herbalism.
About the Blog
Here on the blog, you’ll find everything from my family’s favorite healthy recipes, herbal home remedies, DIY skin care recipes, foraging and wildcrafting and ways to incorporate herbs in your daily life for better health. I hope you’ll join me as I share with you my adventures in pursuing health and wellness!
