Food for Thought Online Cookbook

Throw Back Thursday! And Why I Started Food for Thought Online Cookbook

As a mother of four you can imagine how much cooking I have done over the years, and now that my kids are all grown up and ready to leave the nest, they have asked for some of my recipes. As a medical and mental health specialist I know all too well that what we put in our bodies will effect the way we feel. The nutrition that we put in our bodies will impact our overall health, mind, body, and spirit. I am fortunate that my children followed in my footsteps towards healthy lifestyle choices, including eating healthy and working out. Recently my oldest daughter left the nest and before she left she asked me for a cookbook of some of my recipes. I thought one day I would publish a cookbook for my kids as a personal gift, but I wasn't quite ready, besides I pretty much had my recipes written down on an index card, or on the computer in a file somewhere, and honestly, most of my cooking was done as I went along and I didn't really  measure anything. However, some recipes need to be written down since they are traditional favorites, and even the slightest measure can make the recipe a bit off. So the week before she moved out I decided to cook her some food and bring it over on new serving dishes that she could use in the future. The visit was fun and the dishes can be added to her serving collection. She is the reason why I started the Food For Thought Online Cookbook.

Throw Back Thursday! 

When I was 17 years old, just after high school graduation I began working as a fitness instructor and started my own aerobics class at Top Fitness Clubs of America. That summer, I flew out to Las Vegas for an aerobics convention and certification course to learn as much as I could about the health and fitness industry. For those of you old enough you probably remember the 80's fitness and aerobics craze. I have always been active and health conscientious.

When I returned from my trip from Vegas, I asked the owner of Top Fitness how he felt about starting an aerobics class. At first he laughed and said "Good luck getting the guys on board." The club was 98% male. This was only due to the type of equipment offered, weight lifting equipment. Not giving up quite that easy, while I trained and worked out big, buff, handsome men on nautilus equipment, I decided to see how they would respond.  I turned up the music to a popular radio station, WDRQ Detroit and begin an aerobics routine in front of the large mirror. Being the only female in the gym, all heads turned to my attention and the guys smiled and laughed and continued on with working out. After about 15 minutes, and sweat starting to show, along with my high energy, their attention turned to my routine and what I was doing. The routine began as any routine would, warming up, high energy, and went into the aerobics cardio. I had floor work in my routine, including legs, abs, arms, and stretching. I ended the routine with cool down and stretching.

By the end of the rountine I had every person in the gym watching me through the entire routine. When I was finished I went on to my work.  They all applauded and I smiled and announced "This iis our new aerobics class. If you would like to participate we will begin the class everyday at 6pm. The next day I had a three guys from the gym and a couple of girls who heard about the class. I was thrilled! Members of the club joined in the middle of routines as they felt comfortable with it. From there on out the class was a success. I incorporated nutrition into my programs and I gave nutritional information on many foods. I remember this one girl in particular. she was 24 years old, with two kids. She was about 20 pounds over weight. She lost her weight by the end of that summer, very quickly. She changed her lifestyle, her eating habits, and began moving her body. I gave tips on how to workout while cleaning the house, and encouraged housecleaning as an exercise. So they ended up with a bonus, a healthy body and a clean house! I'll never forget, one day she brought me a bag of fresh broccoli. Everyone knew how much I loved it! I encouraged eating the raw form of veggies with healthy dips or with none at all. She handed me the bag of broccoli and a letter telling me how I changed her life. It was then I knew that I wanted to work in the health industry.

Today, I work as a mental health professional with a background in nursing and I have always liked to do things as natural as possible, especially when it comes to what we put into and on our bodies, from food, to medications, to lotions and other remedies. After several years of education and research on the biopsychology, I realized that I was on to something back in the 80's! Back then I was always full of youthful energy and through my 20's and 30's I had endless amounts of energy, and slept well at night. As the years went by life happened. I had went through a divorce, experienced multiple traumas, my life changed dramatically. My eating habits changed. I gained weight, I was always tired and stressed. I had insomnia and nightmares and was off balance the next day. My life was turned upside down. For those of you who have experienced trauma, then you understand the insomnia, anxiety, and depression that goes along with it. Looking for alternative methods of treatment other than your standard anti-depressants, anti-anxieties medications, I realized that there wasn't much research on traumatic stress and alternative therapies. As the years went on PTSD became more recognized and alternative therapies are being researched as effective treatments for traumatic stress, and other negative stressors that life can bring.

Nutrition is the most overlooked natural treatment for any condition, including inflammation, chronic pain and traumatic stress. For example, did you know that individuals who live in northern parts of the country, or areas where there are long winters, and short summers have lower levels of Vitamin D? and many are Vitamin D deficient. Did you also know that being low on Vitamin D can cause depression? Since we synthesize Vitamin D from the sun we don't get as much in the winter due to the lack of sunshine, therefore foods high in Vitamin D are essential to our health year round. Vitamin D also helps in hormone regulation and aids in the production of serotonin. Serotonin is a hormone that works as a neurotransmitter and it affects mood, behavior, appetite, sleep, memory, digestion, and sexual function.

Nutrition is a natural, safe, effective way to get your life back and feel better. For daily updates, check out this nutritional blogsite for recipes and nutritional info!

Victoria Marion, MA
Forensic Behavioral Health Specialist