About

Peppers and Planks blog  is about my journey to better health. My name is Christine. I am a wife to one, mother to four and teacher to a bunch. I am a health enthusiast. Best of all, I am a child of God.  I am not an expert, or a certified something. I am just someone learning about health through eating better and moving more.

I love to share what I learn with others, because there many people that also desire to get healthier but don’t know where to start or are overwhelmed or just don’t have time to figure it out.  Then there are others that don’t believe nutrition can have that big of an effect on your health and are resistant to any changes at all.  My sister-in-law suggested I start a blog and Peppers and Planks was born.

My interest in better health began after several doctor’s visits for my child. I would ask many questions (can we look into this and how about that) and would sometimes receive answers that didn’t make sense. One doctor even yelled at me saying, “I’m not Doctor House, I don’t know everything!” Another time I took my son to the doctor for abdominal pain. The doctor said there’s nothing wrong with him take a tums. A week later he was having emergency surgery because his stomach perforated. The gastroenterologist couldn’t tell me why. “This is very rare for a teen” and “Sometimes you just have to go home scratching your head.” is all he said. Yeah, not okay.

I realized they were right. They can’t possible know everything. They have hundreds of patients, how much time can they spend on us? Because of that I decided I need to do the research. I need to be my family’s health advocate.

My quest began. I started researching on the internet and came across a study showing a link between teens with ulcers (that are not the result of H. Pylori) and celiac. That is what began my research in to gluten.

I am not anti-doctor. They are invaluable to us. But they don’t have enough training in nutrition (by their own admission). I am not anti-medicine. It can do marvelous things. There is a time and place for it. I believe we should try the simpler solutions first and save the meds as a last resort if other attempts don’t work (unless it is an emergency, of course) Many are resistant because it is easier to take a pill than change a habit.

When I turned 50 I thought about my future health. They say many conditions run in families and I didn’t like what I saw.  I thought leaving my health to run it’s course without taking any action is a recipe for disaster. I knew I wanted to do something about it. My goal is to have the best quality of life I can as I age. Of course, God can take me home in a moment’s notice, but until then…

According to Vonda Wright in her book Fitness After 40, “You are not destined for frailty as you age.” only 30% of how we age is subject to our genes. That leaves  70% of our health and aging process in our control. That means I can make lifestyle/nutritional changes to impact my health in a good way. Cool.

It is still a journey I am on. Rome wasn’t built in a day. My hope is to share what I learn, so you are able to make better choices as well.

I am still learning. If you find any information to be out dated or incorrect feel free to contact me.

If you find something helpful, share it with someone else.

Comments, suggestions and questions are welcome. However I reserve the right to delete any comments that are inappropriate or mean-spirited. That’s just not necessary.

**disclaimer**  I am not a doctor. This is informational only. It is not intended to diagnose or treat any illness. Please discuss any changes you make with your doctor. Always do your own research. Please read full disclaimer here before you continue.