Welcome to Sandra Nelson Nutrition
This is a new beginning.
For me, it is sharing my experience and knowledge of health and my journey to get here.
For you, it’s finding someone who has been in your place and found a way to heal.
I thought of using this space as a blog to provide specific information about health and well-being, food choices, and what not to do. But figured, that if you are here, you have already researched why you are not well and probably have already tried many of the suggestions on the hundreds of other nutrition sites.
Here, I will tell you my story. My experience and the results, whether they were good or bad. I hope you find common ground and that you find the hope to keep fighting for your health.
I was born in the late seventies. Where home cooking met fast food and baby formula was in its early stages of development. I was one of the unlucky infants who had a bad reaction to the formula. After a few days in the hospital, I was deemed well enough to go home.
Now, don’t freak out if you currently are using formula or fed formula to your baby. Yes, breast is best (for most families), but life happens, and this option is a lot healthier than it was forty years ago.
At the time, no one thought of the effect this event would have on my digestive system. I was a healthy child, as far as I was aware, and lived like most kids. Fast food on most days and a few home-cooked meals mostly from packages. I had a few food triggers, mostly apple juice and a few fried foods that would cause me pain, but I avoided them and went on with life.
In high school, I got sick. Doctors tested me for mono, but the tests came back negative. It was then thought that I was acting depressed and told to stop. It took a few months to get over the unknown illness, I slept for most of one of those months, even passing out in class without realizing it. I was given a drink, to combat the weight loss and increase my calorie intake, thinking it would give me more energy to get through the days.
I eventually felt better but my digestive system was never the same. Fast forward ten years, two children, and a sip of spoiled milk later and I am in a health crisis.
I won’t get into details now, but I can tell you that I did not get support from any healthcare providers. Once I was given the diagnosis of IBS, any search for the cause was ignored. My questions were pushed aside, and I was viewed as a problem, someone looking for answers that were not there.
I had a doctor tell me to, “Just calm down and eat.”
I couldn’t and didn’t accept my lot in life. I changed my major in college and focused on Nutrition and learning how the human body works in relation to what we eat.
I found my answers and started healing. I still come across foods, good healthy foods, that I can not digest well, but that’s okay. Not all good food is good for you.
Together, we will find your answers and get you on that path to healing, so you can eat, so you can live.
Strange Affects
Through the process of healing, I found that foods I thought were fine turned out to cause digestive issues. This is part of the healing process and a great indication that my body was working to break down the nutrients instead of letting it slide through. My usual response to food that did not digest well was a quick trip to the bathroom. However, this one took me by surprise.
Not long ago, I took a trip to Denver, Colorado. It was a nice trip but on my second day I started getting dizzy. It was suggested that I drink more water, as I was most likely having a reaction to the altitude. So, I doubled my intake and waited for my four-day trip to be over.
Unfortunately, the feeling of vertigo didn’t subside. I was fine when sitting or walking around but laying down or getting up from the prone position was enough to have me grabbing onto the nearest solid object.
I started to worry because heart disease runs on my maternal side of the family. All I could think was, “Great, I get my digestive track back but now my heart is giving me trouble, when will I catch a break!”
I have become a fabulous home cook. Eating out or eating processed foods has been a struggle for over a decade and I decided to stop the struggle and omit the anxiety of trying to eat at a restaurant and hoping for the best result. I was looking for an easy treat and found a cookie recipe for Scottish Shortbread.
I was excited to try it. Flour, sugar, butter, and salt. So easy, and all natural ingredients. My first batch was lovely and there was no digestive reaction. It had become a monthly treat and it made me feel good…normal to have a sweet treat when my family did.
I talked with my family and discussed the possibility of having Mitral Valve Prolapse. It wasn’t anything to worry about but would have to adjust my activity. We’d know more after a visit to our doctor.
I was researching MVP to be prepared for a doctor’s visit and finished my last batch of cookies and didn’t make more.
After a week off sugar, my vertigo went away. I was shocked. Nothing in my research suggested that sugar could have caused my dizziness.
So, I did what any normal person would do, I switched brands! But the results were the same.
For me, sugar is limited to a tablespoon of honey in my pancake mix once a week.
That’s something I can live with, and I really don’t miss the cookies.
Sometimes we have setbacks and that is alright. Knowing your body and recognizing when your body is having a reaction, even when it isn’t the normal response, will help you along your healing journey.
A Detective on Your Case
That is how I felt as I was working through my process of healing. Searching and separating the scraps of information for the truth and then piecing it all together.
The process of removing bacteria, fungi, or unwanted critters is similar for everyone. It’s what we do after the clean-up that isn’t a one-size-fits-all all.
There is so much information out there, from professionals and neighbors, that is good. However, many individuals want to find the quick fix and those are often ineffective in the long term.
That is where I come in. As I said above, health and nutrition are not a one-size-fits-all. If you have been in digestive distress for more than a few months, your return to full health will be a longer road to recovery.
I work with you through each one-hour appointment to analyze your current nutrition status and work out where we can fine-tune and find the most effective and healthy way for you to recover.
This process will take time. Researching and checking scientific findings is a large part of my process to ensure that you are getting the best nutrition for your current state of health.
