New food is never easy...

It's been two years since my abdominal surgery and almost three years since I've taken any medication. And although that milestone in itself makes me feel good, the real reason for my energy and clarity is the natural path of whole foods, exercise, and meditation that resulted from the frustrations I had with medication, doctors, and the idea of other surgeries.

My diet has been mostly vegetables, limited dairy, and limited gluton for quite sometime. But the kids and Eric... well, it's been "healthy" but not nearly as strict and "mindful" of nutrients as mine... until recently.

When Andrew started getting stomach aches and gut-wrenching cramps similar to my experiences of several years ago, I couldn't fathom the idea of him following in my footsteps by undergoing the same tests, taking the same medications, or god forbid, someday, needing surgery. Now, the whole family eats what I eat and endures the lectures (which I fondly refer to as "re-education") of the dangers and evils of processed foods and sugar. They ride with me to Whole Foods, an hour and a half away in Lincoln Park, and they patiently endure the times I'm unavailable, meditating in my closet.

Andrew is on board because he knows that he won't get a stomach ache when he follows my diet. But Adrienne? She misses the sweets and most importantly, she misses french fries and chicken nuggets, corn dogs, and Quaker granola bars. She sometimes wishes I would just buy her one package of Oreo's or just one small bag of Doritos.

Notorious for communicating through notes, Adrienne left this on the kitchen counter. New food and new habits are never easy....