Regaining Health One Meal At A Time
HI, I'm Chef Laura!
My Husband Billy and I are Private Chefs and our Business is Christie Caters. The recipes you will find on here represents the food we love to eat, cook for friends and family as well as for our clients. We believe in using the freshest ingredients we can find, organic and local when possible. The recipes will be gluten free, mostly dairy free, low sugar and many grain free.
This will not however be a vegan site. We will be sharing some animal food recipes but the majority will be without. Plant based food is high on the health list for sure but that may not be how you want to eat all the time. You may want some fish, or eggs, or meat. Eating in balance and what is right for you is what is important. Eat what makes you feel good. Be mindful of what does not make you feel good and minimize your consumption.
Intuitive Cuisine is about listening to your body and learning how to eat for YOUR health. What is right for you may not be right for someone else. Listen to your body, all the answers are there.
My story
I was a born food lover. If you put something in front of me to try growing up I would eat it no questions asked. Mostly I loved all food , I did not discriminate. Coming from a Greek and Italian family the food was delicious and plentiful. We had no portion control and I would spend many holidays eating until I had to unbutton my pants to breathe. That meant a good meal in my family. If I ever lost a few pounds my Grandma Stella would be worried and ask If I was sick. She liked me chubby and loved to see me eat!
I grew up eating my fair share of home cooked meals but on the flip side I also had my fair share of boxed, packaged foods and sugary treats. I had a candy drawer in my house and I could have as much as I wanted whenever I wanted. I was a sugar addict. My fillings would fall out from eating candy, I had mood swings, weight gain and skin issues . None of it was over the top but enough that it interfered with my feelings about myself.
I never connected any of how I felt with the food I was eating.
Besides sugar, dairy was another huge part of my diet. Who in their right mind does not love the taste of cheese, ice cream and yogurt ! This was another item on the list that I ate often that was causing health issues for me. Again, I did not make the connection for a long time.
I went on diets to get healthy , at least that is what I thought. I tried everything from weight watchers to Jenny Craig to the grapefruit diet. I was a yo yo dieter . I would go on a diet, lose weight go off and gain it back. I always started a diet on a Monday and the weekend prior to starting I would eat all the forbidden foods. After that would come the food guilt and self loathing. I exercised a ton to compensate for my food issues. I lived like this for years.
On the outside I may have looked healthy but I was far from it. The mood swings were worse and now I battled with digestive issues, congestion and medical problems that required surgery. At 26 yrs old my gallbladder was removed. Never once did anyone mention that I should change how I eat.
That is when I found the Natural Gourmet in Manhattan. I attended the Chef training program and from there went on to the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. These two programs helped me change my life and my health forever. I changed the way I eat and think about food. I put the connection between what I ate and and how I felt physically and mentally. I regained my health one meal at a time and I learned to listen and eat intuitively.
Part of Billy's story
When we met he was eating bacon and eggplant pizza's, lots of steak and potatoes and a box of cereal every night with milk before bed. Oh and countless amounts of cookies. I had to hide them all the time! His salt intake was also very high.
Meanwhile for work he was creating the most delicious beautiful food.
A gourmet Chef eating this way? Who would think.
During this time we were exercising a lot. Going out for 60 mile bike rides, kayaking, and lots of hiking. Bill Looked healthy but something was lurking within. Billy had Psoriasis that exploded all over his body. Around this time our son was born and our life had changed. With stress looming and his ability to go out and exercise 5 hours a day gone, his body rebelled. The psoriasis took over and caused much pain and suffering for him. Always having to cover up, being itchy and uncomfortable all the time. I thought candida was the culprit and knew the only way he would heal was from within. This meant no more cookies, no more pizza and no more cereal.
Several years ago Billy gave up gluten. He saw some results but still could not clear his skin. Then he followed The Body Ecology Diet by Donna Gates and finally his body is starting to heal. I have never seen anyone as dedicated as him to health. He no longer eats any of the foods that made him sick and the psoriasis is going away. It will take some time but true healing with food always does. There is no quick fix.
I hope this inspires you to be kind and patient with yourself with wherever you are at with your eating. If you want to make changes start one meal at a time. Don't beat yourself up over bad choices. Have fun in the kitchen! Listen to music while you cook, invite friends and family over to share your culinary creations.
Crowd in all the good stuff so there is no room for junk. Eat the food that will allow you to live a healthy, happy nourished life...