Feb 12, 2020
This week on the Thriving Beyond Belief podcast, Lauren Mones!
Hi, welcome! I wholeheartedly believe in the healing power of plants. As a young girl I would take refuge in Nature. The natural world was the safest place for me to be me. I felt a deep connection to the life force of the forest, lake, mountains and ocean. Little did I know as a young girl how this powerful connection would heal my body.
At the time, I was what some people considered “Uber healthy”. I was racing triathlons. A normal workout day consisted of running, swimming and biking for up to 6 hours per day. I ate a mostly clean diet. I had a great career as a nationally certified Occupational Therapist. My personal relationships with family and friends were solid. But I began to show signs of terrible gut health. I was sick. Very sick.
You can imagine my shock after my first colonoscopy. When the post drug drowsiness wore-off, the physician whispered in my ear "this is a life-long disease with no cure. You will need to be heavily medicated for the rest of your life." I was then told to go home, take my medication and eat anything I wanted, that food had nothing to do with the activity of the disease. My physician encouraged me that I would be able to “live an average life with Crohns”.
Well, that didn’t sound exactly right to me. I didn’t know anything about Crohn’s at the time, but what I did know, is that food, in particular plants, have always had a healing effect on me. And I’ve never been one to live an average life. That fueled my fire! I changed everything. I eliminated inflammatory foods and added more foods that were closest to nature. I managed stress levels better with personal growth practices. I became particular about my circle of people with whom I interacted everyday. I ended toxic relationships.
One of the biggest shifts came to me when I bought and consumed my first jar of sauerkraut. I felt a huge surge of energy. I was intrigued. I began diving head first into the art of fermentation and gut health.
I began making sauerkraut, kefir, kimchi, kombucha. I started studying the microbiome in depth. Not only was my body healing with these foods but I developed an absolute awe for the microbial world. A world that is teeming with life. A world of balance, symbiosis and chaos. A world that I couldn’t touch, see, hear, or smell but was doing wonders for my body/mind/ Spirit.
I threw away all of my medications and committed to a path of the Warrior. And then the most amazing thing began to happen. I started to really trust in my body’s own healing capacity. I continuously practiced slowing down to learn and listen to what I needed. I trusted. I trusted. And I trusted. Even in the face of fear, I chose to trust. Fermenting Fairy was born from this place of trusting my own inner compass and a deep desire to share these living, fermented, medicinal foods with you. Nothing makes me happier than knowing you are feeling your best and that Fermenting Fairy is part of your journey to the healthiest and most vibrant you!