Life Can Change in an Instant...

Geez. Life can sure turn in an instant! The last month has been a whirlwind with plenty of challenges. But the biggest by far happened last Thursday. Our little man (the one we went Paleo for a couple of months ago) began having full blown seizures and has officially been diagnosed with epilepsy. Even though this hasn't been the first of our scares with Eddie, this may be the toughest one to swallow. Thankfully, he turned a corner and is feeling a lot better now. I feel like I can breathe again. But I hate that he has to be on medication and when I think of leaving him somewhere I get a pit in my stomach. There is just so much that's unknown about the disease, the brain, or even WHY the medicine works. On one hand, I know everything is going to be okay because I know that he has the best parents/family/friends/doctors to do all of the right things for him. On the other hand, I'm terrified. This is all a realm that we've never been before and the unknown can be very scary. On the other hand (what? you didn't know I had 3 hands?) I believe that everything happens for a reason and I have to find solace knowing that this is only a stepping stone. 

We came home from the hospital on Friday and it felt like we had been thrown naked into the ocean without a life vest, raft, or anything... What now?! Among the routine doctor visits, medications, neurological testing, etc., what could we do to give our son the best possible chances for a healthy, happy, normal life - as naturally as possible. Obviously at this point we feel trapped in having to keep the seizures at bay and have him on medication, but the hope is that he will grow out of needing that and we can naturally support that process. You know where I'm going with this, don't you..? 

FOOD. Since having gone Paleo a couple of months ago, we all saw a marked improvement in Eddie's day to day life. His memory improved and the issues that were already at hand seemed to be lessening. But now it's time to take our Paleo lifestyle to the next level. Under our doctors care and lots of research, we are currently transitioning into a ketogenic diet which has shown to be effective for people with seizure disorders. This won't be a hard transition since we were already Paleo about 80% of the time (but definitely have to raise that ratio), but there's still a lot to learn. 

I know that food is the key to all avenues of health and I know that different things work for different people. I'm wondering, have you experienced your own success in the arena of your health because of a changed diet? What was your condition and what did you do? What was your transformation?

Also, do you or someone you know/love have epilepsy? How do you support that condition with a healthy lifestyle and where do you get support? 

One thing that I've really taken to heart with all of this is that I don't want to do this alone. On that note, I'd love to hear from you. Also, please send your love, light and good vibes to our precious son. 

Comment below, OR:
Email: heavenlyhealthy@yahoo.com

PGP: Family meeting, part 1 - Dad

In case you didn't take the time to read my first "Pachecos Go Paleo (PGP)" post, today you will get an insight into one of the main reasons we've chosen to give Paleo a try. 

Our 8 year old son has recently been diagnosed with Complex Partial Epilepsy. We will be sharing some pieces of that journey with you, but mostly our journey as we transition our family (particularly, our children) into a healthier diet. 

It is our belief that the first place of healing begins in the kitchen and we know that this transition has to include the whole family. This will only work through communicating, sharing, supporting, strengthening and loving each other every step of the way. 

>>Dad talks to the family about Paleo and talks to Eddie about seizures.<< 

Today is a big day here as Eddie is schedule for his MRI. He had his first MRI when he was a year old and everything checked out normal, so we are hopeful that today will be the same. 

Please send your prayers, positive energies, juju, vibes, and most of all LOVE our way. 

Much love and thanks for your support!! 
xoxo

To see the Paleo program we're following, click here:

Pachecos Go Paleo!!

I'm SO excited to share with you all this brand new Paleo journey that I'm taking my family on for the next 2 weeks!! I will be posting blogs, videos and pictures on FB and IG through all of my social media feeds and I would love for you to follow along. Bare with me, as this first post will be the longest as I tell you a little bit of our story as well as WHY we've decided to give this path a try.

If you know me, you know that I generally don't believe in "diets" or the idea that "one-size-fits-all" when it comes to what we should be eating. Every body has its own requirements and it's our job to figure out what foods provide us with the energy and vitality that are needed to live our fullest, healthiest life possible.

You may or may not know that I've been mostly vegetarian for the past 13 years. Sometimes I'm very strict about it, sometimes I'm not. I typically just go with how I feel because I deeply believe that our bodies will unfailingly tell us what we need through our levels of energy, how we're feeling, what we're craving, etc.

Sadly though, over the past 6+ months I lost my passion for being in the kitchen. Life got super busy and cooking (something that I truly love to do) became more of a chore than something that I enjoyed. I also got tired of making the same old things that never pleased the whole family (3 adults and 3 kids). So, I began to settle for less on what I was feeding everyone. I'd make separate meals which usually meant something healthier for the adults and something mediocre for the kids. Lately, it really started to get to me. My #1 commitment in life is to give my family the best in everything that I can, so how was I going to get over this major funk in the kitchen?

And then I no longer had a choice. I wasn't sure if I was going to share this next part of our story publicly or not, but one thing I know is that by sharing the REAL stuff in life then others can benefit in their own struggles. It is my hope that in sharing this part of our family's journey that you will gain something for your own life journey.

Last week we found out that our 8 year old son, Eddie, has Complex Partial Epilepsy. You may have followed some of his story over the past 8 years. His issues have been pretty minor and very manageable. However, more recently we began noticing something a little more concerning - periods of complete absence, loss of memory and/or knowledge of his current setting. (We'll keep this part of the story short for now.) And so the tests began (physicals, EEG, MRI, etc.) and our suspicions were confirmed.

Once the devastation settled, reality set in. Something had to change. I knew deep in my being that the kid who would eat pizza at every single meal if he could, had to change his diet. And that meant this mama was going to have to have a solid plan. Whatever the plan was going to be, it needed to include the entire family.

[Parts of our family meeting will be posted on Youtube.]

After conducting much of my own homework as well as already having some intuition telling me that Eddie needed to be eating more meat, I reluctantly decided it was time to start bringing more meat into the house. After a few very DRY and not-so-yummy attempts (I've never been one to cook meat), the first person I could think to help me on this path was my amazingly talented and passion-about-food friend, Camille from Recipe RX and Paleo Living.

It couldn't have been more perfect that she was literally JUST launching her own program to help people transition into a healthier lifestyle, called Paleo Cooking at Home: Fast, Easy & Cheap. I quickly jumped on her affiliate program last week, went shopping on Sunday and began our cooking journey on Monday (yesterday). No time to waste!

>>>>>Meet Camille here!!<<<<<

And now the journey begins.

Sunday we completely overhauled the kitchen... out with the crap, in with the real food!!

OUT with the enriched breads, pastas & processed carbs~

IN with the fresh produce, healthy fats and yes, the meat!!

Our first dinner was last night (Almond Coconut Crusted Chicken - holy heavens!!) and EVERYONE (yes, I said everyone) LOVED it!! So far, we have made last night's dinner, today's breakfast (plantain crepes) and lunch (tuna salad wraps), and all of them have been a hit!!

Words cannot express how exciting it has been in just 24 hours to make meals that the whole family loves! I'm seriously ecstatic!! I'm already thrilled to be back in the kitchen and I feel like this is exactly what our entire family needed to get on track.

Be sure to follow our 2-week "Pachecos Go Paleo" journey on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and now Youtube!!